76 trees uprooted, roads continue to be flooded: Rain wreaks havoc in Bengaluru

Several parts of the city saw waterlogging while uprooted trees continued to affect vehicular movement on Saturday

At least 76 trees were reportedly uprooted across Bengaluru when heavy rains and winds battered the city on Friday night. Many localities in the city continue to be flooded. Strong winds felled heavy trees to the ground. Damage to properties was reported from various locations across the city while less than half a dozen people sustained injuries as a result of heavy rain.

Rain pulls huge trees to the ground

While the BBMP is yet to access the damage, at least 76 were reportedly felled to the ground by heavy winds that accompanied Friday night's monstrous rain. Traffic police had to resort to clearance of debris late into Friday night with major roads being blocked due to fallen trees. Incidents of tree fall were reported from various localities including Shantinagar, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Corporation Circle, Cubbon Road, Raj Bhavan Road, K R Circle etc.

Low-lying areas inundated

On Saturday morning, many roads continued to be flooded. The road between Kadubisanahalli and Kariyammana agrahara wore a flooded look on Saturday morning. Rains inundated roads in Mahadevpura, Central business district, Madiwala, Shantinagar, Ulsoor gate etc. While the Bengaluru traffic police barricaded flooded parts of the road and allowed two-way traffic on some busy extensions, water from other parts had to be allowed to drain out. The BBMP was once again caught sleeping as far as rain-preparedness went.

Roads blocked, traffic affected

Traffic block was witnessed in many parts of the city on Saturday morning. With BBMP delaying the clearance of debris, regular life was thrown out of balance. Major roads continued to see blockages due to flooding and tree debris. Additional workforce was called in on Saturday to clear fallen trees and clearance of routes on all major roads. Junctions like corporation circle, central silk board continued to see the aftereffects of Friday night rains.

Trees fall on vehicles, damage cars

Dozens of vehicles were damaged after trees fell on them. While whole trees were uprooted at some places, reports of branches coming down emerged from other localities. Flooding also caused massive damage to vehicles. Due to flooding at K R Circle, a car was stuck after the underpass was inundated. Traffic police personnel shifted the car out and later closed the route on Friday night.

City plunged into darkness, electricity fails

Parts of the city went powerless for hours as rains continued to lash the city. Electricity poles and cables were affected by uprooted trees in some localities while transformers were affected by thunderstorms. The BESCOM received over 6,000 complaints throughout Friday night. Nine electricity poles were damaged in the rains.

Rain taunts Bengaluru's infrastructure

Storm Water Drain overflowed at Hosakerehalli causing flooding of roads. A driver of a vehicle had to be pulled out to safety. At least three families reported that their homes were flooded. BBMP and BESCOM helplines received hundreds of complaints in one night. The panic was proof enough that the city was clearly not ready to bear the brunt of the monsoon. With monsoon just a week away, heavy rains are already taunting Bengaluru's infrastructure or the lack of it.

OneIndia News