BANGALORE: Heavy rain early Tuesday saw some areas flooded and people forced out of their houses.
Mayor N Shanthakumari visited some affected areas like Dasarahalli and L R Nagar in Anepalaya. After examining the situation at Anepalaya, she directed the officials to bring the jetting machines and remove the silt and water from the houses and bylanes and clear the accumulated waste from the SWD. She asked the officials to arrange for drinking water and to complete the bridge work soon.
She told the residents: “I spoke to the local corporator and got to know that 60 per cent of SWD work is done. The balance work is being carried out. Had the work been completed on time, the flooding would not have taken place.”
Many residents explained their problems to the mayor. Shabreen said the gushing water reminded them of the recent Kashmir floods. “My husband is a painter. All our earnings and groceries have been washed away by the rain,” she said.
For Reshma Shabnam, saving her two small sons who are mentally ill became quite a task. “We were in deep sleep. Had my sister who lives on the first floor not alerted us, we would have got stuck inside our house with two feet water,” said Shabnam. Her husband is an auto driver.
‘A Man-made Mess’
H S Ananthaswamy, chief engineer, Storm Water Drains, BBMP, said the heavy rainfall had flooded some low-lying areas. He claimed the civic body had anticipated it and cleared a majority of drains. “This particular incident cannot be attributed to drains. It is a man-made mess as people dump garbage and this chokes the drains.”
The Forecast
B Puttanna, Director, Indian Meteorological Department, Bangalore, told Express that it rained from 1.15 am to 3.10am and again from 4am. He said the rain stopped by 5am. The total rain recorded is 79.2mm, he added. “There is upper air cyclonic circulation presence over Lakshadweep and under this influence, the rains will occur over the next four days, specially in parts of South Interior Karnataka covering Bangalore,” said Puttanna.