Hapless Bengaluru sees heaviest rainfall in 23 years
2-hour downpour on Tuesday, May 17, sees 1,000 Bengaluru homes inundated, several trees uprooted and many roads waterlogged
BBMP and other Bengaluru civic agencies working non-stop to mitigate rain-related woes
BENGALURU:
The heavy rains that battered Bengaluru city on Tuesday evening, apart from the havoc they caused, have also contributed to breaking a 23-year-old record for the heaviest rainfall recorded in the month of May.
Bengaluru city has witnessed around 210 mm of rain in the first 18 days of May this year. The closest ‘rival’ to that was in the similar period of May in 1999, when the city reported 142 mm of rain.
Civic agency BBMP claimed in a press release that the city witnessed around 75 mm of rain on Tuesday evening, May 17, in an unrelenting two-hour downpour that saw, as per reports, rain water inundating nearly 1,000 houses.
“The city, in the BBMP limits, has reported the highest rainfall in the month of May since 1971 (210 mm from May 1 to May 18),” the BBMP press note said.
The civic body said many roads were flooded and several incidents of treefall were reported.
The sky was overcast throughout the day on Tuesday, and then the rains started pouring in from around 8.30 pm. As the water levels in the major drains rose, nearly 1,000 houses in all eight zones were reported inundated, according to the civic agency. It added that many roads were waterlogged and disaster management teams worked late into the night to ensure that the flooding was brought under control.
Deluge of complaints
The BBMP control room received around 254 complaints, 170 of which were rain-related, 34 related to trees that were uprooted, and 60 were various other complaints. All the complaints would be reviewed by the officials of the respective zones and appropriate action would be taken, the release said.
ಮಹಾಲಕ್ಷ್ಮೀ ಲೇಔಟ್ ಶಂಕರ ಮಠ ವಾರ್ಡ್ ಜೆ.ಸಿ ನಗರ 19ನೇ ಮುಖ್ಯ ರಸ್ತೆಯ ಬಳಿ ರಾಜಕಾಲುವೆ ತುಂಬಿ ಹಲವು ಮನೆಗಳಿಗೆ ನೀರು ನುಗ್ಗಿ ಸಮಸ್ಯೆ ಉಂಟಾಗಿದ್ದು ಕೂಡಲೇ ಸ್ಥಳ ಪರಿಶೀಲಿಸಿ ರಾಜಕಾಲುವೆಯ ಹೂಳನ್ನು ನಿರಂತರವಾಗಿ ತೆರವುಗೊಳಿಸಲು ಸೂಚಿಸಲಾಯಿತು.#BBMPCares @CMofKarnataka @BSBommai @GopalaiahK @BBMPAdmn @KarnatakaVarthe pic.twitter.com/tWdRbRUXBG
— Tushar Giri Nath IAS (@BBMPCOMM) May 18, 2022
ಭಾರಿ ಪ್ರಮಾಣದ ಮಳೆಯಿಂದ ಹಾನಿಗೊಳಗಾದ ಬೊಮ್ಮನಹಳ್ಳಿ ವಲಯದ ಹಲವು ಪ್ರದೇಶಗಳಿಗೆ ಮಧ್ಯರಾತ್ರಿ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಿ ಸಂತ್ರಸ್ತರಿಗೆ ಪರಿಹಾರ ಒದಗಿಸಲು ಸೂಚಿಸಲಾಯಿತು.#BBMPCares @CMofKarnataka @BSBommai @msrbommanahalli @BBMPAdmn @KarnatakaVarthe pic.twitter.com/wxY4kxWm3e
— Tushar Giri Nath IAS (@BBMPCOMM) May 18, 2022
BBMP in rain-fighting mode:
- More than 200 officers/staff of BBMP, including the zonal Joint Commissioners and Chief Engineers, are working to tackle rain-related problems.
- BBMP, the State Disaster Management Force, the Fire Rescue team, the Forest Division, the Traffic Police Division, Bescom and BWSSB were quickly deployed on Tuesday night.
- More than 30 staff are working round the clock at the head office control room and the control rooms in all eight zones.
- 46 earthmover machines (including 8 robotic machines), the water board’s jetting machines and pump sets to drain out rainwater were pressed into service.
- The forest department’s 21 tree-cutting teams worked all night to clear 34 trees.
- In all 8 zones, Bescom has taken action to attend to power-related complaints.
Rs 25 k rain relief
- Revenue Officers/Assistant Revenue Officers have been ordered to survey and submit reports in two days. Later, Rs 25,000 compensation will be paid directly in the accounts of affected families.
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