4 nights of rain drown Bengaluru IT hub

Residents of densely populated pockets in the IT hub in south and south-east Bengaluru woke up to find their homes marooned on Friday. The heaviest rain in four nights flooded houses and roads. The fire brigade deployed 10 boats to evacuate residents.

Five lakes between Bannerghatta Road in the south and HAL Airport Road overflowed, sending water swirling into neighbourhoods. Kodichikkanahalli, Akshayanagar, Arakere Layout, Yemalur and Kariyammana Agrahara were the worst affected, with roads turning into canals, residences getting submerged up to 10 feet and basements being flooded.

Late Thursday, there were signs of what was coming. Water level on roads and low-lying areas kept rising as rain intensified past midnight. Madiwala, Hulimavu, Yemalur, Bellandur and Akshayanagar lakes overflowed, and storm water drains leading to them were in spate well before dawn.

At least 150 houses in Kodichikkanahalli (behind IIMB), were under 7 feet of water by dawn. Thankfully, firemen had arrived by then and begun evacuating residents. Some residents moved to upper floors. Forty houses in Akshayanagar, near Hulimavu lake were also under water. Scores of houses were flooded by the overflowing Yemalur and Bellandur lakes.

Bellandur, ITPB, Silk Board Junction, Sarjapura Road, KR Puram, Kadubeesanahalli, Mahadevapura, parts of Old Airport Road, Marathahalli Ring Road, Electronics City, Devarabeesanahalli and Kadugodi Road leading towards Mahadevapura, Chandapura Gate and Hebbagodi roads were the worst hit.

Drivers complained they took up to four hours to cover distances they would usually travel in 30 minutes.