Bengaluru rain: The water has drained away in most places, but conditions were difficult.
Bengaluru has been hit with heavy overnight rain many times over the past several days. Tuesday night's rain left parts of the city flooded. Residents shared videos and spoke of the difficulties they were facing. The water has drained away in most places, but conditions were difficult.
Asha, a resident of HBR layout, said, "After the heavy rain the whole night, the road was filled with water. It had entered the house to a level of two to three feet. It was a big problem. We can't even walk on the road because it is so dirty. I want the concerned officials to come here and take care of the situation."
Bengaluru has a history of flooding after heavy rain. The city was once a place of hundreds of lakes, but with many being converted into residential layouts, flooding is common. Encroachment on storm water drains and blockage of these drains with garbage and construction debris is another challenge. Demolition drives have been carried out by the city's civic body and the amount of flooding in the past few years has not been as severe as it was earlier. But residents of low-lying areas in India's IT capital continue to worry about the higher than usual rainfall.
Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka Dr Ashwath Narayan: "There are roads, there are drains. In some areas, though, there are obstacles or the flow will be more. The city has become a concrete jungle... The carrying capacity is a challenge. Flash floods are a challenge - and over time, Bangalore, the administration and the system have been effectively addressing this concern."
He said there are still challenges in low-lying areas because of the flash floods. "We are coming out with many solutions like recharging pits to absorb the water so that the flow can be controlled."
Another resident, Raghuram, told NDTV, "Last night, we had a rude wake-up call around 2 AM to find that water was knee-deep in the house. One look and we knew we had no option but to wait till morning. We woke up in the morning and it was water, water everywhere, all dirty water. It is an absolute mess. Water flow from here to the storm water drain is almost nothing. Unless serious action is taken, it is going to be a disaster."
Heavy rainfall since August 1 in Karnataka has killed at least 20 people, displaced thousands, damaged more than 10,000 homes and crops in about 4.03 lakh hectares, and wrecked 14,182 km of roads in the state.
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Tuesday said a central team was visiting the flood-hit areas to assess the damage, and that he will also be going to New Delhi to seek more relief from the centre.
(With inputs from PTI)