COVID-19 lockdown turns boon as downpour batters Bengaluru

Bengaluru Urban recorded 0.5 mm to 48 mm of rainfall and the total rain was 11.3 mm with the forecast being rather gloomy.
Police on duty during the heavy rains which lashed Bengaluru on Sunday. (Photo| Nagaraja Gadekal, EPS)
Police on duty during the heavy rains which lashed Bengaluru on Sunday. (Photo| Nagaraja Gadekal, EPS)

BENGALURU: The first ‘Sunday curfew’ imposed  by the State government to try and contain the spread of COVID-19 came as a boon to citizens as the city was washed away by a heavy downpour.  One minute, it was sunny, and the next the skies opened up in many parts of the city, leaving a trail of destruction.  Several trees were uprooted and many branches fell on the top of vehicles, damaging them. And many areas even faced long hours of power cuts.

Bengaluru Urban recorded 0.5 mm to 48 mm of rainfall and the total rain was 11.3 mm. The forecast is rather gloomy. According to SSM Gavaskar, Scientist of Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, light to scattered rainfall will be seen for the next few days.

However, between May 27 and 29 the State can expect fairly light rains being associated with thunderstorms and gusty winds. "These are pre-monsoon showers and on Sunday there was a sudden convention which caused the rainfall. Some localities might even have got to see a hailstorm as it is quite common during pre-monsoon showers," he said.

Sarjapur and adjoining areas recorded the least with 0.5 mm rainfall and the highest was in VV Puram with 48mm. Sarakki recorded 40 mm rainfall followed by BTM Layout with 36 mm, Koramangala 31.5mm, Jakkur 26 mm, Pulikeshi Nagar 16 mm, Hessarghatta 6 mm, Dasapura 5 mm and Bannerghatta 1.5mm.

A BBMP official said that 10 trees were uprooted and up to 35 branches had fallen and several vehicles were damaged. Naveen Reddy, a resident of BTM Layout said, "The downpour led to power cut and water-logging. Several complaints have not yielded any result."

At Sarjapur, Doddakennali, water entered some houses belonging to domestic helps and labourers and they were forced to move to a safer location. "The high winds damaged our roofs and the houses developed cracks. Our refrigerator and  TV were damaged. We luckily got a single room closeby and have moved there. But we can’t stay here for long, hope we get some help," said Amar Singh, a driver by profession. However, like always when it rains, there was no traffic or jams; the roads were empty, thanks to the lockdown. 

48mm rainfall recorded in VV Puram

  • Sarakki: 40 mm 
  • BTM Layout: 36 mm
  • Koramangala: 31.5 mm
  • Jakkur: 26 mm
  • Sarjapur: 0.5 mm

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