IMD issues red alert for next 2 days; heavy rainfall likely across Karnataka

Most of the IT companies along Outer Ring Road between K R Puram and Silk Board in Bengaluru have advised employees to work from home in light of heavy rain.

Hosur Road, covering Electronic City, including the elevated expressway, was closed for traffic movement briefly at around 9.30 am before it was opened at 10.45 am. Electronic City houses major IT firms, including Infosys, TCS, Wipro, and others.

Bangalore Central MP PC Mohan said in an X post, “All companies in Bengaluru, including Infosys, must declare two days of work from home due to rains.”

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said officials are on the field and attending to the issues caused by the downpour, and there is no need for anyone to worry, news agency PTI reported.

Shivakumar, who is also minister in-charge of Bengaluru Development, asserted that the government is committed to protect the lives and properties of the people, as he hit back at the Opposition's criticism of the administration's "failure" in managing the situation, by asking them whether they can stop nature?, as per the report.

"We got information about two deaths late last evening. We have sent out officials. I will also go. Instructions have been given to officials. All are on the field and are attending. There is no need for anyone to worry. Our priority is to save the lives and properties of people. We are committed to it," Shivakumar said.

Speaking to reporters, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will be visiting some rain affected spots tomorrow. "I visited some spots last night. Irrespective of wherever we are, our duty is to save Bengaluru's pride, and we will do it," he added.

Regarding the opposition criticising the Congress government and its "Brand Bengaluru", the Deputy CM asked, "Can they stop nature? No one can stop. Let them criticise, we will do our duty." Replying to a question on the possibility of more rains, he said, "I'm someone who says let there be rains, let anyone say anything. More the rain comes, the better for the state." When questioned about the condition of roads in Bengaluru, amid rains, Shivakumar said work is on and permanent concrete roads are being laid.

Due to poor road condition, the road from Pai layout towards Tin factory is currently witnessing slow-moving traffic, the Bangalore City Police stated in a post over X.

With houses and lanes experiencing flooding following heavy rainfall in parts of Bengaluru, the residents of Sai Layout are in fear as snakes have entered their houses.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar Monday said that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has fixed 70 per cent of the 210 flood-prone areas identified in Bengaluru city, and work on the remaining 30 per cent is underway.

Speaking to reporters at the BBMP war room last night, Shivakumar said, “We had identified 210 areas as flood-prone in Bengaluru. Ever since I took over as the Bengaluru Development Minister, we have fixed flooding issues in 166 (70%) of those localities. Flood prevention work is currently going on in 24 areas while work would be taken up soon in the remaining 20 areas. We have built 197 km of storm water drains.”

“The traffic police have identified 132 spots which are flooded during heavy rains. Of these, we have rectified issues in 82 spots and 41 spots are yet to be fixed. We are spending Rs 2,000 crore for storm water drains,” he explained.

“Rain is controlled by nature while we can only try to control the controllable. We are rectifying flood-prone areas and are trying to help the common people. There is no need for people of Bengaluru to be worried about rains. Unfortunately, a woman died due to a wall collapse,” he added.

“Quantum of rainfall has been very high in Silk Board junction, Hebbal and Yelahanka area. Underpass works are underway in a couple of places in these areas and they have been flooded. We will work with those departments to resolve these issues,” he said.

A drain overflowed at Balaji Layout Park in Bengaluru's Vajarahalli following heavy rainfall Monday evening. The residents told The Indian Express that they continue to face the same problem every season.

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Multiple areas in Karnataka have received light to moderate showers since Monday evening, with Mangaluru AP recording the most rainfall at 94.1 mm.

Here's how much rainfall was recorded in different areas since last evening till Tuesday morning, according to the Bengaluru Meteorological Department:

Rainfall in mm from (08: 30 IST of 19th May) to (05:30 IST of 20th May)

Mangaluru AP: 94.1

Bengaluru City: 25.4

Bengaluru HAL AP: 11.4

Gadag: 9.4

Chitradurga: 4.0

Rainfall in mm (Till 17:30 IST of 19th May)

Honnavar: 12.6

Raichur PTO: 8.4

Bidar: 6.8

Panambur: 2.2

Bengaluru KIAL AP: 0.2

Rainfall in mm (Till 05:30 IST of 20th May)

Electronic City (BNG Urban): 31.0

Mangaluru (DK): 30.5

BNG URBAN: 25.0

Mandya: 24.0

Mudigere (Chikkamagaluru): 22.0

Chandurayanagalli (Ramanagara): 20.5

Hanumanmatti (Haveri): 10.0

Davanagere: 6.0

Agumbe (Shivamogga): 5.5

Gangavathi (Koppal): 4.0

Hardanhally (Chamarajanagar): 2.5

Aland (Kalaburagi): 2.5

GoniKoppal (Kodagu): 1.5

Hiriyur (Chitradurga): 0.5

Doddaballapura: 0.5

Almel (Vijayapura): 0.5

A 35-year-old woman in Bengaluru Monday died after a wall collapsed over her following heavy rains last night.

The deceased has been identified as Shashikala, and the incident took place in Bengaluru's Whitefield area.

The Horamavu Vaddarapalya Sai layout in Bengaluru was waterlogged after heavy rainfall in the city last night leading up to early Monday.

The Mahadevapuram rescue van and Civil Defence Warden Gopi were present on the spot.

(Express Videos)

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister DK Shivakumar Monday expressed his concern over the havoc caused by heavy overnight downpour in the city.

"Deeply concerned by the havoc caused by relentless rains in Bengaluru. I’ve been in continuous touch with the concerned officers and I'm closely monitoring the situation," DK Shivakumar said.

"As always, I remain committed to Bengaluru - working round the clock to address challenges and ensure relief.

I will be visiting the BBMP War Room and flood-affected areas personally to take stock on ground. Let us be clear: the issues we face today are not new. They have been ignored for years, across governments and administrations. The only difference now is - we are working to solve them. Not with temporary fixes, but with long-term, sustainable solutions," he stated.

"To my fellow Bengalureans - I am one among you. I understand your concerns, I share your frustration, and I assure you of my commitment to resolve them. I stand with you," Shivakumar added.

Light to moderate rainfall or thundershowers accompanied by lightning and gusty winds, with speed reaching 30-40 kmph is likely to occur at isolated places in next 3 hours, the Bengaluru Meteorological Department stated in its forecast.

The districts likely to be affected, as per the weather agency, include Vijayapura, Bagalkote, Raichur, Koppal, Yadgir, and Gadag.

The weather conditions may lead to temporary disruption of electricity in some areas, minor traffic snarls, and possible uprooting of weak tree branches.

The weather department has advised residents in these districts to stay indoors, close windows & doors and avoid travel if possible.

"Take safe shelters; do not take shelter under trees. Unplug electrical/ electronic appliances Immediately. Get out of water bodies immediately. Keep away from all the objects that conduct electricity. Drive carefully if you are travelling," the advisory stated.

Thousands of files were reportedly destroyed after heavy overnight rainfall caused flooding inside the Central Crime Branch (CCB) office in Bengaluru.

(Express Video)

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘yellow alert’ for Bengaluru till Friday, indicating that moderate rainfall is likely to continue across the city.

Partly cloudy skies with heavy rain and thunderstorm are likely to prevail over the city today.

The minimum and maximum temperatures are likely to be around 20 and 30 degrees Celsius, respectively.

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