Rain, fierce gales wreak havoc; Bengaluru witnesses wind speed of 40kmph

BENGALURU: Heavy rain accompanied by strong wind blowing at a speed of up to 40 kmph pounded the city on Tuesday evening, uprooting nearly 60 trees, damaging vehicles, flooding roads and bringing traffic to a halt in many areas. Bengaluru received 29 mm rain and the weatherman has forecast more showers over the next two days.

The sky opened up around 6pm. The rain was widespread, affecting Bengaluru, Bengaluru Rural and Ramanagara.“The wind was so strong that my scooter parked outside toppled and got damaged,” said Siddesh K, a resident of BTM Layout. Several parts of BTM Layout, ITI Layout and Laggere were flooded and rainwater entered homes.


“Every time it rains, it’s a nightmare for us. Rainwater floods our house and brings along muck. And then everything stinks for days,” lamented Narayan Kamath, a resident of BMT Layout 2nd Stage.

The BBMP control room was flooded with over 50 calls within half-an-hour of the weather change. “Nearly 60 trees were uprooted and over 75 branches came crashing down. Our team is working to clear them. We also received complaints of power outage,” said an official. Mathikere, Goraguntepalya, Sadashivnagar, BTM Layout, Rajajinagar and Yelahanka reported the most tree falls, he added.

Experts say the downpour was the result of a trough created over Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. India Meteorological Department has forecast heavy rain in many parts of the state, especially south-interior regions, including Bengaluru, in the next two days.