Bengaluru's Manyata Tech Park, near Hebbal on the Outer Ring Road, home to several Fortune 500 companies, was severely waterlogged on October 15 following heavy rains that lashed the city.
Videos of flooded roads inside Manyata Tech Park, a 330-acre tech village, went viral on social media. The Nagawara flyover near the tech park was also waterlogged, affecting traffic movement on the Outer Ring Road.
Many companies in Manyata Tech Park instructed employees to stay in the office till the roads are clear, citing waterlogged roads both inside the tech park and outside. A tree was uprooted near Ebisu Tech Park, within the same campus and close to the under-construction retaining wall, after the soil gave way. Later in the evening, some companies instructed employees to work from home on October 16 due to incessant rains, which caused significant waterlogging and traffic disruptions.
Many techies working along the Central Silk Board - KR Puram section of the Outer Ring Road (ORR) tech corridor also faced severe hardship due to heavy rains and traffic. Separately, tech hubs including junction near RGA Tech Park and Wipro Gate on Sarjapur Road, as well as areas near Hoodi on ITPL Road and parts of Electronics City, also experienced flooding.
Traffic police said gridlocks were reported on major roads including Outer Ring Road, Mysuru Road, Tumakuru Road, and Airport Road, leaving many motorists and school buses stranded for hours. Many commuters blamed Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for poor rain preparedness. There were also complaints of surge pricing by app-based ride-hailing services. This has led to a growing demand for work-from-home arrangements for IT-BT and private sector employees.
Bengaluru Deputy Commissioner G Jagadeesh issued a circular on Tuesday (October 15), announcing a holiday on October 16, for all anganwadi centers and schools in response to the Meteorological department's 'orange alert' forecast for October 16 to 17. He also directed educational institutions to compensate for the lost learning time by scheduling extra classes on Saturdays or Sundays. However, all colleges including those offering degree, postgraduate, diploma, engineering, and ITI programmes will remain open
Some private schools, meanwhile, decided to switch to online classes.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Bengaluru Traffic) MN Anucheth said areas like Yelahanka, Chikkabanavara, Bellandur, and Whitefield were affected. "Traffic congestion was reported on Outer Ring Road, Airport Road, and Tumakuru Road. Drains get clogged due to heavy rainfall, which causes delays in water receding. The waterlogging impacted traffic movement." He said that they had instructed Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA) to implement staggered exits of employees to reduce congestion on tech corridor during evening peak hour.
Heavy rains are also expected to impact first India-New Zealand test match at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on October 16. Both teams cancelled their net sessions on Tuesday due to the downpour.
Also, read: Heavy rain lashes Chennai and Bengaluru, brings traffic chaos, waterlogging
BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath has directed civic officials to remain on high alert. In a virtual meeting, he urged officials to take necessary precautions, especially in flood-prone areas, and ensure that residents are moved to safety if required. "Citizens can call the corporation helpline (1533) to report rain-related issues," he added.
A BBMP statement said the Meteorological department has forecasted rainfall for the next three days. "Citizens can also access detailed zone-wise maps, rainfall forecasts, and flood alerts at varunamitra.karnataka.gov.in. Yelahanka, West, and East zones are expected to receive the highest rainfall, while moderate rainfall is forecasted for Mahadevapura, South, RR Nagar, Bommanahalli, and Dasarahalli zones. In the past 24 hours, a total rainfall of 37 mm was reported in some parts of Bengaluru. Between 8:30am and 3:30pm today, the maximum rainfall recorded in some areas reached 65 mm.", it said.
Waterlogging was reported in several areas across the city, including Sarjapur Road, Kasthuri Nagar Bridge, Swamy Vivekananda Road, Ramamurthy Nagar, Sankey Road, Gundopanth Street, Hennur-Bagalur Main Road, Ganganagar, Vibgyor School Road, Sulthanpet Main Road, Windsor Manor Underpass, Jeevanbheema Nagar, Hennur-Bagalur, HAL Road, ITPL Road, Old Madras Road near Benniganhalli, TC Palya, Bellandur Kodi- Yamlur, Sakra Hospital Road, Dommasandra Signal, Kogilu Cross and Hebbal.
Met department officials said that the Southwest Monsoon has withdrawn from all of Karnataka as of October 15, with Northeast Monsoon rainfall activity commencing over the southeastern peninsula. Rainfall was reported in many areas of South Interior and Coastal Karnataka, and a few places in North Interior Karnataka.
"Scattered heavy to very heavy rain is likely in Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru Urban, Chikkaballapura, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Kolar, Mandya, Ramanagara, Shivamogga, and Tumakuru districts on October 16", a Met department official said.
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