Bengaluru is drowning because of widespread corruption, careless construction, and poor engineering, not just “nature’s fury.” The past week’s overnight rains have once again exposed and crumbled India’s technology hub, leaving its 12 million residents at the mercy of civic indifference.
The nation’s IT capital is on the verge of sinking after a second cloudburst in a week flooded the city, with boats flooding the streets in place of cars. Roads are underwater, storm drains are overflowing, low-lying areas are flooded, and several homes are on the verge of being submerged because there is nowhere for the floodwaters to go. The movement of vehicles has ceased, and commuters are urged to exercise caution when leaving their vehicles.
The city’s IT companies have sent out a warning to all of their staff advising them to “exercise caution, review the situation in the area, and plan their travel to office with discretion.”
An alert that was sent to staff members at Bengaluru’s Ecospace IT park, one of the worst-affected IT parks, stated: “Bengaluru has experienced heavy rains overnight, causing several areas to flood. Traffic flow has been hampered by severe waterlogging, and several homes and apartments have flooded. Although the offices are open and fully functional, we urge all of our employees to stay safe, use caution, consider the local circumstances, and make discreet travel arrangements to the offices.
Bengaluru will have to brave the elements when they strike because the metrological department has forecasted moderate to isolated heavy showers in the next few days.
Geeta Agnihotri, the director of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Bengaluru, predicts that Wednesday will continue to bring moderate to heavy showers to the city. With 131.1mm of rain, Bengaluru had the most in the state on Monday.
Since 1988, this is the third wettest month the IT city has seen. The most rainfall ever recorded in Bengaluru was 177.6 cm on September 12, 1988. This was followed by 132.3 mm on September 26, 2014, the most recent of which ranked third among all September rainfall totals.
“The Bengaluru city and Nelamangala in the rural region of Bengaluru recorded the highest rainfall. A Met official reported that stations like HAL Airport and Begur in Chamarajanagar “recorded more than 12 cm rainfall.”
Several parts of Bengaluru’s central business district (CBD), as well as the Outer Ring Road near Ecospace, Silk Board Junction, Varthur, Bellandur, KR market, Sarjapur Road, and Airport Road, have been completely overrun by water.
Former Infosys director and chairman of Aarin Capital Mohandas Pai told the media, “This is a complete failure of governance.
“The Outer Ring Road is a total disaster. All of the drains are damaged. Everywhere there is flooding, and the infrastructure and traffic are completely mismanaged. There were numerous heavy showers last week. The BBMP was where? The early warning system is not present. Officials from the BBMP ought to have been on the ground preventing flooding in the city. The system is completely broken down and there is no governance, according to Pai.
“A company that employs thousands of people would be a source of pride for any city in the world, but Bengaluru is treating them unfairly. The IT capital is not only failing, but it is also losing its valuable investors because they are not being given the proper infrastructure, Pai continued.
The worst-affected areas in Bengaluru are the IT corridors, and Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has reassured businesses that his administration is making every effort to rebuild the city. Bommai further stated that he will consider compensation and other associated losses with regard to Bengaluru’s anticipated loss of Rs 225 crore as a result of rain and waterlogging.
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