Bengaluru Rains: ‘Namma Bengaluru is underwater’—Netizens react as Silicon Valley streets turn into streams, roads become lakes

Bengaluru Rains Today: Life in Karnataka’s capital has come to a standstill after 36 hours of relentless rain, flooding homes, choking traffic and tragically claiming lives. On Tuesday, the rain-battered city continued to grapple with the aftermath of one of the heaviest downpours in recent years. 

Parts of Bengaluru resembled an urban swamp, with residents seen walking through knee-deep water as traffic crawled across several major junctions. Sai Layout in particular remained cut off, with its houses half-submerged and around 150 people rescued by emergency teams on Monday. “There’s water everywhere. We haven’t been able to step out since yesterday,” a local resident shared.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) arranged food and water for residents in the flood-hit area, but locals criticised civic agencies for being “least bothered” about their plight. In Hennur, an orphanage flooded, prompting a rescue operation by the Fire and Rescue Department and the Disaster Response Force.

From Manyata Tech Park to Silk Board Junction: Key routes clogged

From Manyata Tech Park to Silk Board Junction, key routes were clogged, forcing commuters to endure agonising delays. Adding to the chaos, new potholes cropped up across the city, posing serious danger to motorists.

Two deaths due to electrocution were reported on Monday evening after rainwater entered an apartment in NS Palya. Manmohan Kamath, 63, died after a short circuit occurred while he tried to use a pump to drain water. Dinesh, a 12-year-old boy and son of a Nepalese worker at the same apartment, also lost his life during the incident.

“They were declared dead at the hospital,” police said, adding that Unnatural Death Reports (UDRs) will be filed.

Another woman, Sasikala, 35, was killed when a compound wall collapsed on her while she was sweeping at a company under Mahadevapura police limits.  Meanwhile, lightning strikes killed two people in Raichur and Karwar.

Bengaluru receives second highest downpour since 2011

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Bengaluru recorded 30 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours, after having witnessed a staggering 105.5 mm between Sunday morning and Monday morning — the second highest 24-hour rainfall in May since 2011. The city’s HAL Airport recorded 78.3 mm and the Kempegowda International Airport saw 105.5 mm.

Back in May 2022, Bengaluru had logged 114.6 mm rain, and the all-time record stands at 153.9 mm on May 6, 1909.

An orange alert has been issued for Bengaluru, with a forecast of 8–10 cm rainfall, along with yellow alerts for various districts across the state.

“The rainfall might not seem like much for rural areas, but in a concrete-heavy city like Bengaluru where water outlets are blocked, the impact is severe,” said N Puviarasu, Director, IMD Bengaluru.

Mangaluru recorded 90 mm rainfall in the past 24 hours. Heavy showers have been pounding coastal and southern Karnataka as well.

On Monday, Hosur Road between Silk Board and Rupena Agrahara was temporarily shut due to waterlogging, but reopened after floodwaters receded, Bengaluru Traffic Police said.

The IMD also warned citizens to stay indoors and avoid taking shelter under trees or near electrical appliances. “Take safe shelters. Do not take shelter under trees. Unplug electrical/electronic appliances immediately. Get out of water bodies immediately,” IMD advised in its bulletin.

Bengaluru Rains: Netizens vent frustration, share humour

Social media was flooded with dramatic visuals and sarcasm-laced humour. “Rivers on roads near Vega City Mall, BTM towards JP Nagar, Bengaluru,” one user posted.

“This Bengaluru rain is bad, but the solution is worse — five years of digging for storm water drains that don’t help,” another wrote. “Bengaluru known as a water hole, now is in whole of water with no holes,” a user joked.

“There are new lakes discovered in East Bengaluru. I think govt can start a project to bridge these lakes.” “This is the main area of Bengaluru city. Roads have literally turned into lakes.”

“On the way to a meeting. A boat would perform better here,” read another tweet. “With the way Namma Bengaluru is under water, govt needs to give a holiday and companies should offer work from home. Too much stress, too much traffic.”