Bengaluru Heavy Rainfall Live Updates: ‘Sometimes things get out of hand,' says BBMP chief as city battles second-highest rainfall in decade
Bengaluru was battered by 130mm of rainfall in just 12 hours from Sunday evening to early Monday, leading to widespread flooding that left three people dead, submerged 500 homes, and brought over 20 lakes close to overflowing. Triggered by the convergence of two low-pressure systems and intense thunderstorms, the deluge crippled the city's infrastructure, shutting down underpasses, flooding flyovers, halting public bus services, and turning several upscale streets into streams. BBMP chief commissioner Maheshwar Rao called it the second-highest rainfall in a decade. Among the fatalities were a 63-year-old man and a 12-year-old boy electrocuted while pumping out water in BTM Layout, and a housekeeping staffer killed in a wall collapse in Whitefield. Flooding extended to areas like Kengeri and RR Nagar, where 100 homes were inundated and five animals perished. Across the city, 44 four-wheelers and 93 two-wheelers were either submerged or swept away, while rescue teams deployed boats to assist stranded residents. Rainfall in several zones, including Kengeri and HAL Airport, far exceeded the stormwater drain capacity of 70mm, and 20 out of 29 lakes in Yelahanka reached full capacity, with the Central Silk Board junction completely waterlogged. Stay with TOI for live updates.
09:49 (IST) May 20
Bengaluru Rainfall News Live: City battered by 130mm rainfall in 12 hours
Bengaluru was battered by 130mm of rainfall in about 12 hours from Sunday evening till dawn on Monday. The deluge left three people dead, flooded 500 homes, brought more than 20 lakes close to overflowing, and turned several upscale streets into waterways. Multiple underpasses and flyovers were closed to traffic, vehicular movement was disrupted for hours with miles-long traffic snarls, and public bus services came to a halt in several parts of the city.
09:49 (IST) May 20
Bengaluru Rainfall News Live: Intense thunderstorms lash multiple parts of the city
Heavy rain — triggered by the convergence of two low-pressure systems and accompanied by intense thunderstorms — pounded the southern, northern, and eastern parts of the city. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rainfall in Bengaluru for the next five days.
09:49 (IST) May 20
Bengaluru Rainfall News Live: BBMP chief commissioner says it's second-highest rainfall in a decade
As citizens struggled to recover at the start of the workweek, BBMP chief commissioner Maheshwar Rao termed the downpour the second-highest rainfall in a decade, stating, 'Sometimes, things get out of hand; we are working on it.'
09:48 (IST) May 20
Bengaluru Rainfall News Live: Two electrocuted in BTM Layout while pumping out water
Manmohan Kamath, 63, and Dinesh, 12 — a security guard's son — were electrocuted while pumping out rainwater that had flooded Madhuvana Apartment in Dollars Colony at BTM Layout 2nd Stage around 6.15pm Monday. Kamath, who lived on the first floor, procured a motor to remove the water. Dinesh, who came to help, was electrocuted when the motor was plugged in. Residents rushed both to the hospital, but it was too late. Dinesh had arrived in Bengaluru from Nepal with his parents three months ago.
09:48 (IST) May 20
Bengaluru Rainfall News Live: Woman dies in wall collapse; animals killed in flooding
Shashikala D, 32, a housekeeping staffer in Whitefield, died after the compound wall of the office building she worked in collapsed. The Chief Minister has announced Rs 5-lakh compensation to her family. Nearly 50km from Whitefield, 100 homes in Kote Layout, Kengeri, were flooded. In RR Nagar's Vrishabhavathi Valley, flooding killed five animals — three cows, a calf, and a buffalo.
09:48 (IST) May 20
Bengaluru Rainfall News Live: Streets turn to streams; vehicles submerged or swept away
The flooding turned streets into streams, submerging or sweeping away 44 four-wheelers and 93 two-wheelers. Twenty-seven trees were uprooted, and branches fell from 43 more. The State Disaster Response Force deployed boats to evacuate residents from submerged homes and neighbourhoods.
09:47 (IST) May 20
Bengaluru Rainfall News Live: Lakes overflowing, heavy rainfall recorded across city
Despite no official work-from-home advisories from major tech companies, firms are keeping all options open should rain continue with similar intensity. Rainfall was the heaviest in Kengeri (132mm), Vaderahalli (131mm), Chikkabanavara (127mm), Chowdeshwarinagar (104mm), and Kempegowda ward (103.5mm), far exceeding Bengaluru's stormwater drain capacity of 70mm. Other areas such as Koramangala, Basavanagudi, Marathahalli, and HAL Airport recorded over 90mm rainfall, according to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre. In Yelahanka, 20 of 29 lakes reached full capacity. The Central Silk Board junction was also inundated.
Bengaluru experienced 130mm of rainfall over 12 hours from Sunday evening to early Monday, leading to severe flooding that claimed three lives, inundated 500 homes, overflowed over 20 lakes, and brought traffic to a standstill as underpasses and flyovers were shut and public bus services halted.
The torrential rain was triggered by the convergence of two low-pressure systems and intense thunderstorms, affecting the southern, northern, and eastern parts of the city. The IMD has forecast more heavy rainfall in the next five days.
BBMP chief commissioner Maheshwar Rao described the downpour as the second-highest rainfall in the past decade and acknowledged the overwhelming impact on the city, assuring that efforts were underway to address the crisis.
In BTM Layout, 63-year-old Manmohan Kamath and 12-year-old Dinesh were electrocuted while using a motor to drain floodwater from an apartment complex. Dinesh had moved to Bengaluru from Nepal three months earlier with his parents.
In a separate incident, Shashikala D, a housekeeping staffer in Whitefield, died after a compound wall collapsed. Meanwhile, in Kengeri, 100 homes were flooded, and in RR Nagar's Vrishabhavathi Valley, five animals were killed by rising waters.
Streets across the city turned into waterways, submerging or washing away 137 vehicles, uprooting 27 trees and damaging 43 more. Rescue teams deployed boats to evacuate stranded residents. Rainfall figures in several areas far exceeded the 70mm drain capacity, with parts like Kengeri recording up to 132mm. Twenty of 29 lakes in Yelahanka hit full capacity, and Central Silk Board junction was completely inundated.
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