Bengaluru: Although the monsoon season has yet to officially begin, the city’s administrators are already grappling with the consequences of heavy rainfall. In just 24 hours, an average of 10.5 cm of rain fell on Sunday night, prompting the deployment of dinghies and tractor trailers to rescue residents stranded in knee-deep water.
Some of the most severely affected areas include Manyata Tech Park, BTM Layout, Ejipura Junction, HSR Layout (5th and 6th sectors), and Silk Board Junction.
Sai Layout, notorious for its flooding issues, once again experienced significant inundation, with water levels rising to chest height. This forced residents, including senior citizens, to navigate through the floodwaters before being rescued by tractor trolleys.
Several neighborhoods reported floodwaters entering homes, including Wilson Garden, HSR Layout, Nandagokula Layout in Nagavara, HBR Layout (5th Block), Hennur, Sai Layout, Manyata Tech Park, ST Bed Layout in Koramangala, and Silk Board.
Social media is abuzz with videos showing residents in BTM Layout attempting to bail out knee-deep water from their homes using mugs and buckets.
ಮಡಿವಾಳ ಸಂಚಾರ ಪೊಲೀಸ್ ಠಾಣಾ ವ್ಯಾಪ್ತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮಳೆ ಬಿದ್ದಿರುವುದರಿಂದ ಸಿಲ್ಕ್ ಬೋರ್ಡ್ ಜಂಕ್ಷನ್ ಬಳಿ ವಾಟರ್ ಲಾಗಿಂಗ್ ಆಗಿದ್ದು ಹೊರ ವರ್ತಲ ರಸ್ತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹೆಚ್ ಎಸ್ ಆರ್ ಕಡೆಗೆ ಹೋಗುವ ಮತ್ತು ಜಯದೇವ ಕಡೆಗೆ ಬರುವ ಸಂಚಾರ ನಿಧಾನಗತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಗುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ವಾಹನ ಸವಾರರು ಬದಲಿ ರಸ್ತೆಗಳನ್ನು ಬಳಸುವುದು ಮತ್ತು ಸಹಕರಿಸುವುದು. pic.twitter.com/Aozx6IVgVt
— MADIVALA TRAFFIC BTP (@madivalatrfps) May 19, 2025
For those commuting to work from low-lying areas, the situation was particularly challenging. Many residents hitched rides on the dinghies provided by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to navigate the waterlogged streets.
At Silk Board, a notorious traffic bottleneck even under normal conditions, the situation escalated as knee-deep water stagnation brought vehicular movement to a near standstill. Commuters, reluctant to wade through the floodwaters, were seen climbing through the windows of a BMTC bus to escape the chaos.
As Bengaluru grapples with these early monsoon challenges, the need for effective urban
Lohith Nanjundaiah, a bus passenger, recounted a harrowing experience: “The driver informed us that the bus could not proceed, but the police insisted we continue. Eventually, the bus came to a halt here because water had entered the engine.” His fellow passenger, Nandini, who was returning from a nearby hospital, added, “I just finished my treatment and had to struggle to get home safely. It would be beneficial if the authorities acted more swiftly.”
The uprooting of trees posed an additional challenge for the civic agency, particularly in the Cubbon Park area, where several fallen trees required removal with the assistance of earthmovers. Trees also fell and damaged vehicles in Jayanagar, while other affected areas included Cowl Bazaar and Infantry Road.
At the Silk Board junction, earthmovers were seen attempting to clear the streets of water.
Manyata Tech Park, home to numerous multinational companies, resembled a lake from above, with over two feet of water obstructing the entrances, turning the daily commute into an unexpected adventure for many.
While such scenes are familiar to residents during the rainy season, the intensity of the rainfall in May is unusual, according to local weather enthusiasts.
According to Namma Karnataka Weather, a popular account on X with 18,000 followers, the heavy rainfall experienced on Sunday night was the most significant of the year. “The deluge last night was the heaviest we’ve seen this year. Brace yourselves for traffic snarls this morning,” the weather enthusiast noted on X.
Data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) indicates that Bengaluru received 105.5 mm of rainfall between 8:30 AM on May 18 and 8:30 AM on May 19. This level of precipitation is reminiscent of the heavy rains recorded on the same date in 2022.
Notably, the all-time record for rainfall in May stands at 153.9 mm, a benchmark set on May 6, 1909.
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