The city recorded its second highest rainfall within 24 hours in the month of June on Saturday morning, largely due the heavy rainfall that lashed the city on Friday night.
According to data obtained from the Meteorological Department, 100 mm rainfall was recorded in the city between 7.15 pm on Friday and 8.30 am on Saturday. Around 60 mm rainfall was recorded between 7.15 pm and 8 pm on Friday night, 20 mm between 8 pm to 12 midnight and 20 mm between 12 midnight and 8.30 am on Saturday. Met Department director B Puttanna said: “This is the second highest rainfall recorded in a day in the month of June since the department was inaugurated 145 years ago. On June 16, 1891, 101.6 mm rainfall was recorded in a single day and that is the highest rainfall ever recorded in a single day in the month of June. The monsoon has already hit the coast of Kerala and its influence is likely to be felt in many parts of the state, including the city. The rainfall will further intensify as the monsoon reaches the state in a couple of days.”
Traffic jams due to water clogged roads was a common sight. A person drowned while trying to save his dog from the gushing rainwater. As many as 44 trees were uprooted. The most number of trees fell in Bashyam Circle, Seshadripuram, Kathriguppe, Hanumantha Nagar, Bank Colony, Ulsoor, Srinivaspura, Shivajinagar and Bapujinagar. Water gushed into houses at Srinivasapura, Prakashnagar, Rajajinagar Industrial Area, Sarakki, Banashankari, Jayanagar, JP Nagar, Padmanabhanagar, Gubbalala, Uttarahalli, Chandra Layout, Deepanjalinagar, Gali Anjaeneya and a few other places. The BBMP control room received 472 complaints related to tree falls, water clogging and traffic jams.
Bapuji Nagar corporator V Krishna was seen getting stormwater drains desilted as rainwater had entered over 40 houses due to blockages in the drain.
Suresh Babu, who resides at Guttahalli, said: “Due to blockages in the stormwater drain, rainwater entered our compound. I have been calling the BBMP control room but no one is responding to my calls.”
Bangalore In-charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy visited various affected areas to assess the situation. Speaking to Express he said: “The rain was too heavy and around 70 mm of rainfall was recorded in two hours. If the same amount of rain had fallen over a longer duration, the clogging would not have been so much. There was a very small vent for rainwater to go out at the city bus stand and that caused a lot of inconvenience. I have instructed the concerned officials to construct more vents and enlarge the existing one. While forming one of its layouts, the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board had encroached on the main canals which caused a lot of clogging and one person accidentally drowned there. We have directed the officials concerned to desilt the lateral and side drains along with the stormwater drains.”
Ramalinga Reddy also directed the officials concerned to give a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the family of the person who drowned near Dasarahalli and clear the encroachment on the main canal.