India rain continues to wreak havoc in Karnataka

Bengaluru: Authorities in the Indian city of Bengaluru used tractors on Tuesday to rescue residents of posh housing estates marooned by floods after two days of torrential rain brought chaos to the fast-growing technology hub.

Many parts of the city in which several global companies and home-grown startups are based were under water as more rain fell in an unusually wet monsoon season, which has brought 162% more rainfall than average since June 1.

“Things are bad. Please take care,” Gaurav Munjal, founder of the Softbank-backed education technology firm Unacademy said on Twitter after he, his family and his dog, Albus, were rescued on a tractor from his posh neighbourhood.

With city streets submerged and traffic in chaos, many companies asked staff to work from home. Some city residents struggled to empty out flooded basements and shops, ANI showed in video footage.

Environmentalists blamed the flooding on poor planning as the city has expanded and climate change.

“When you start building on this kind of a landscape and you start paving and crusting the area with homes and roads, the run-off starts to increase,” S. Vishwanath, a Bengaluru-based water conservationist told Reuters.

India could expect more intense weather in future, said Leo Saldanha of the Environment Support Group.

“Extreme weather events are predicted to be a part of climate change impacts,” he said.

Bengaluru’s water supply company said on Monday it would stop the supply of water to more than 50 areas in the city for two days after a pumping station that brings in water from 100 km.

Rain was expected to fall in the city and neighbouring areas until Friday, an official with the Indian Meteorological Department said.

The Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai blamed the previous Congress regime for the massive waterlogging caused by the “heaviest downpour in the past 90 years”.

“The state, especially Bengaluru, has received highest rainfall in the past 90 years. Incessant rain has led to filling up of all waterbodies which are overflowing. However, it is being projected that whole Bengaluru is flooded,” Bommai said.

He stated that there is no problem as such with the entire Bengaluru city. “Two zones, especially Mahadevapura zone, is facing problems as it houses 69 tanks in the small area and all lakes are overflowing.

Secondly, he said, the establishments have come up in lower level and encroachments are also major reason for the present situation.

Squarely blaming the opposition Congress for the crisis, he said: “The unplanned development and mismanagement during its tenure has resulted in flood crisis in Bengaluru.”

Permissions were granted recklessly for constructions in the areas of lakes, lake bunds and buffer zones. They did not bother to think of management of lakes. Congress is responsible for the present crisis, he reiterated.

“I have taken this as a challenge. A grant of Rs 15 billion has been released and Rs 3 billion has been given additionally. In future, the action will be taken in such a way that encroachments do not come up,” chief minister Bommai said.

He stated that a Central team is arriving here to discuss the flood situation on Tuesday.

The traffic on Mysuru-Bengaluru highway has been affected as Arkavathy River is overflowing. The underpasses throughout the stretch are flooded.

The premises of the Bengaluru International Airport (BIAL) pick up point was inundated due to heavy rains.