Nearly 400 families, who were stranded in apartment complexes in Bommanahalli and in Seegehalli near Whitefield, had to be evacuated by rescue teams on Wednesday after heavy rain inundated several parts of the city.
Heavy rain and flooding was reported from H.S.R. Layout Sector 6 and 7, Koramangala 4th Block, H.M.T. Layout in Nagasandra, and parts of Nelamangala.
“A wall next to the drain broke and water gushed into houses on the ground floor,” said Hariprasad Reddy, a resident of Sai Gardens apartments in Seegehalli. All 200 families were evacuated by NDRF personnel who deployed dinghies.
In Bommanahalli, the basement of Raja Rajeshwari Niwas apartment complex was inundated after a portion of the stormwater drain (SWD) running alongside its wall broke. District Fire Officer B.H. Nagaraj, who was involved in the rescue operation, said that 20 personnel from the Electronic City Fire and Emergency Services reached the locality at 4 a.m. The operation ended after 16 hours. "Nearly three-fourths of the residents, who had friends or family they could stay with for a few days, moved out," said Mr. Nagaraj.
Entire neighbourhoods in H.S.R. Layout Sector 6 and 7 were inundated and residents had to wade through knee-deep water to get to work.
Seven SDRF personnel, 32 NDRF personnel and 40 personnel from the Fire and Emergency Services personnel were deployed in H.S.R. Layout. Boats were pressed into service in Whitefield and H.S.R. Layout to evacuate people who were stranded, according to Pradeep K.K., Emergency Coordinator (Disaster Management) for Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA). "Thirty-two NDRF officers were deployed and two boats were used in Whitefield to rescue people who were stranded in their homes," he added.
In H.M.T. Layout in Nagasandra, basements were flooded and many residents lost their belongings. "The water level was 8 feet. In the middle of the night, families had to move to the terrace," said C.S. Ramesh, a resident.
Residents of an apartment complex near Bagmane Tech Park were stranded in the morning as water from the nearby SWD overflowed. "So far, no officials has come to our aid. We have arranged pumps to remove water. Though the water has receded, there is still more than a foot-and-a-half of water in the basement," said Sangeeta Haldar, a resident.
Residents of Koramangala 4th Block and Anugraha Layout in Kodichikanahalli also bore the brunt of the rain with the water level rising to several feet at night.
Lakes filled to the brim
Water overflowed from SWDs leading to Madivala lake, said residents of Kodichikkanahalli. Begur lake, which had become full a few weeks ago, continued to overflow.