Boats take over Bengaluru streets: Horamavu flooded, Manyata Tech Park turns lake after record rain
A heavy downpour on Sunday night wreaked havoc across several parts of Bengaluru, with the Horamavu region bearing the brunt. On Monday morning, rescue teams were forced to deploy boats to reach stranded residents in waterlogged neighbourhoods — a grim reminder of the city's recurring civic failures.
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Areas such as Vidyaranyapura Sai Layout in Horamavu were among the worst affected. Water levels rose beyond knee height in front of several homes, prompting authorities to use boats to assess the situation and provide assistance. Despite repeated pleas by locals in the past and protests demanding proper stormwater drains and road upgrades, the region continues to remain vulnerable after every spell of rain.
Across the city, similar scenes unfolded. The infamous Panathur RUB and other low-lying stretches were inundated again, while key roads like New BEL Road, Nagawara, and Silk Board saw massive traffic snarls due to waterlogging. The Outer Ring Road corridor — home to major tech parks — was no exception.
In one of the most striking visuals of the morning, Bengaluru's Manyata Tech Park resembled a shallow lake, with over two feet of standing water at several entry points. The park management confirmed they were coordinating with the civic body to pump out the water. The incident sparked outrage on social media, with many calling out the Karnataka government's infrastructure promises.
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A user wrote sarcastically, 'Bengaluru Ports are booming under Brand DK's dynamic leadership! Soon to launch: Tunnel roads, Underwater Metro, ferry rides — all thanks to the rain.'
Another user posted a desperate appeal, 'Namma Bengaluru, where BBMP can't even finish one SWD work, leading to floods in normal rains. Fire brigade is unavailable, no immediate help. Complete lack of accountability. Please help.'
According to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), Sunday night's rainfall was one of the highest May showers the city has recorded in decades. Bengaluru Urban logged 132 mm of rainfall, while the Bengaluru North observatory (Somasettahalli) recorded 119 mm.
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