Bengaluru, India, May 20 – Torrential overnight rains in Bengaluru left large parts of India’s tech capital inundated on Monday, disrupting traffic, damaging infrastructure, and prompting emergency rescue operations as residents grappled with the city’s recurring flood woes.
The city recorded over 100 mm of rain between Sunday and early Monday, flooding roads, residential layouts, and bus stands. Several key areas—including Koramangala, Indiranagar, Silk Board junction, and the Electronics City flyover—were submerged, causing massive traffic snarls during the morning commute.
Civil defence teams were deployed with boats in severely affected areas such as Sri Sai Layout in Horamavu, where water reached waist level and entered over a hundred homes, local officials said. Residents in flooded areas were evacuated using boats and tractors after being cut off from essential services.
“We are completely stranded. The water level kept rising through the night and reached inside our homes,” said Neelufar Ahmad, a resident of Horamavu.
Other severely affected zones included the Central Business District, Whitefield, Sarjapur, Bannerghatta Road, and parts of J.P. Nagar and Rainbow Drive Layout. In S.T. Bed Layout, which saw similar flooding in 2017, water again inundated homes.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the city’s civic body, attributed the flooding to pre-monsoon showers and gaps in drainage infrastructure. BBMP Administrator Tushar Giri Nath, who visited affected areas, said work was under way to widen stormwater drains but had been delayed by legal hurdles.
Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao assessed flooding around the Bellandur Lake inlet junction, citing narrowed stormwater drains as the cause of overflow in surrounding areas like Madiwala and Ejipura.
Power outages compounded the crisis, with residents in several neighborhoods including Yelahanka, BTM Layout, Hennur, Shivajinagar and Banaswadi reporting electricity cuts from Sunday night. The Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) said 20 poles and 18 transformers were damaged, while more than 88,000 calls were received on its helpline.
“There has been no power or water since morning, and we’re struggling even to cook or get ready for work,” said Manjula R., a resident of Ramangondanahalli.
The rainfall is the latest in a series of weather-related disruptions exposing the city’s vulnerability to urban flooding. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said on Monday that while the issues are not new, the government is working on long-term flood mitigation solutions.
The India Meteorological Department has forecast continued pre-monsoon activity in southern India, raising concerns over further flooding in low-lying areas of Bengaluru.
