Bengaluru: A resident wades through the clogged rain water at his house in low-lying locality in Bengaluru on Tuesday. (PTI Photo)
Parts of south Bengaluru that were inundated following a thunderstorm in the early hours of Tuesday limped to normalcy on Wednesday even as many streets and basements remained water logged in low lying areas abutting parts of the Koramangala-Chalaghatta lake system where real estate development has occurred over the years. Heavy, unexpected rains lashed Bengaluru from midnight through the early hours of Tuesday. While a total rainfall of 129 mm was recorded for the city for the day — the highest ever for a day in August in 127 years — the southern parts recorded rainfall as high as 180 mm. The highest rainfall of 180 mm was recorded in the Bilekehalli region of south Bengaluru on Tuesday while the IMD’s HAL station in south east Bengaluru recorded 144 mm of rain.
Life was not affected in a major way due to the heavy rains since Tuesday was a holiday on account of Independence Day although a lot of people had to stay indoors and wait for the water on the streets to recede or hire pumps to drain flooded basements to move around.
The northern and western parts of the city received only 10 mm of rain for the day. The highest total rainfall for a day in Bengaluru was recorded in October 1998 at 180 mm. Though the forecast was for moderate to heavy rainfall in south interior Karnataka parts of Bengaluru city received very heavy rainfall over a period of four hours, Sunder Methri the IMD director in charge at Bengaluru said.
Bengaluru normally receives an average of 147 mm of rainfall in August. The heavy rainfall on Tuesday in south interior Karnataka has been attributed to a cyclonic circulation over the south Tamil Nadu coast.
Last year a mere 90 mm of rain in a day in July left many parts of the city flooded. This year the BBMP or the Bengaluru city corporation launched a massive clean up of street drains ahead of the monsoon but the work remains incomplete in many parts of the city.
