Karnataka: Bengaluru Floods Overshadow Congress Government’s Anniversary Celebrations

Bengaluru is experiencing severe disruption due to heavy rainfall, even as the Congress government celebrated its two-year anniversary in Hospet. Waterlogging in areas such as the city's Manyata Tech Park, Silk Board, and KR Market has created flood-like conditions.

Bengaluru Heavy Rain: Several parts of Bengaluru were left submerged after heavy pre-monsoon rainfall, causing chaos across the city. Amid this, and the death of three people over the past 48 hours, the ruling Congress went ahead with celebrations in Hospet to mark two years of its government. Following a night of torrential rain, the flood situation in Bengaluru worsened on Tuesday morning.

Government officials and administrative staff gathered in Vijayanagara, approximately 350 km from the capital. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, along with party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, led the celebrations at the Jindal Airport in Vijayanagara. The heavy rain continued as the “Samarpan Sankalp Samavesh” (public meeting) commenced at around 12 pm in the Hospet district stadium.

Bengaluru Submerged by Rain

The attendees struggled to find shelter from the downpour. While welcoming the guests on stage, Revenue Minister Krishna Byregowda described the rain as a divine blessing for the government. However, for the residents of the IT city, grappling with unprecedented flood-like conditions for the past 48 hours, it was nothing short of a disaster.

Rain as a Catastrophe, IT City in Distress

Waterlogging severely impacted several areas of Bengaluru, including the prominent Manyata Tech Park, Silk Board Junction, and K.R. Market. While Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar visited the BBMP war room (Integrated Command and Control Centre) the previous day to assess the situation, conditions worsened the following day. Citizens continuously complained about inadequate drainage, road closures, and delays in emergency assistance.

Congress Show of Strength Under the Shadow of Three Deaths

State BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra stated that the situation in Bengaluru is critical and that the government's priority is celebrating its two-year anniversary. He criticised that a few hours of rain brought Bengaluru to its knees, causing distress to the people and resulting in three deaths, while the government was preoccupied with its anniversary celebrations. He highlighted that Bengaluru residents are among the highest taxpayers but receive only potholes and floods in return, indicating the government's lack of seriousness towards the city's development.

105 mm Rainfall Exposes Government's Claims

The heavy rainfall between Sunday and Monday night, as in previous years, exposed the government's claims of preparedness before the monsoon's arrival. The 105 mm rainfall in a single day overwhelmed the city's infrastructure. A total of 270 mm of rain has been recorded in May, with 200 mm falling between Saturday and Tuesday.

Highest Rainfall Since 2011

According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) data, Bengaluru city received 105.5 mm of rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am on Monday, the second highest since 2011. The last time such heavy rainfall occurred in May was on May 18, 2022. Incidentally, the all-time record for May rainfall is 153.9 mm, recorded on May 6, 1909.