Pre-monsoon downpour virtually brings Bengaluru to halt

Pre-monsoon showers cool Bengaluru, catch residents off-guard, uproot 21 trees, lead to traffic snarls across city.
While rain spoilt the Friday plans of many residents, a boy enjoys a tonga ride in Fraser Town. (Photo | B Pandarinath, EPS)
While rain spoilt the Friday plans of many residents, a boy enjoys a tonga ride in Fraser Town. (Photo | B Pandarinath, EPS)

BENGALURU: Thunderstorms accompanied by hail lashed the city on Friday afternoon and evening affecting normal life. The Met department has said rain will continue for another three days and hailstones can be expected as well.

The rainfall ranged from 3mm in Anekal to the highest at 90 mm in Gantiganahalli. Other areas like Rajarajeshwari Nagar recorded 23.5mm, Bommanahalli 18.5 mm, Yelahanka 74 mm, Avalahalli 66mm, BTM layout 12.5mm, and Jnanabharti 7.5mm. Rain lashed the city once in the afternoon starting around 1.30 pm lasting around 40 minutes, and again at 5.30 pm for a little over an hour. 

At least 21 trees were uprooted in places like Lumbini Garden, Wilson Garden, Jayanagar 4th Block, near Jayanagar Metro Station, Jayanagar 7th Block, Banashankari, Sampige Road and in Mahadevapura limits.
Not only trees, traffic was affected across the city and underpasses got flooded with the Cauvery underpass declared closed due to flooding. Similar problems were witnessed at the Sahakarnagar Underpass and Shivananda Circle. Mysore road, Bellary road, Outer Ring Road near 
Hennur witnessed major traffic jams. 

Rajeev Sharma, a techie said ,”While I was on my way back home from work, crossing Double Road, I got stuck in traffic for more than 40 minutes. Usually cars move fast, but due to traffic there was bumper to bumper traffic and it took a really long time. It was total madness”.

Meanwhile, BESCOM reported at least 34 electricity poles being damaged in places like KR Puram, Kengeri, Devanahalli, Bhuvaneshnagar and Kashinagar.

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