Downpour drowns Bengaluru, yet again!

From waterlogged flyovers to skyrocketing auto fares, the latest bout of rain has amplified frustrations, highlighting the urgent need for long-term urban planning by the BBMP

Bengaluru: The relentless rains that continued to batter Bengaluru on Monday too turned roads into virtual streams, leaving commuters stranded and mobility across the city in disarray. The people were greeted by flooded streets, bumper-to bumper traffic, and the grim realisation that getting anywhere in the state capital was nearly impossible.

Several areas, including Ko thanur, K Narayanpura, Varthur Kodi, AMC Junction, Nagawara, Hebbal, Hosur, Outer Ring Road (ORR), HSR Layout, and other low-lying localities were hit by waterlogged roads and sluggish traffic movement. “It has become a part of life now,” said Dutta treya T Devare, the trustee of Bangalore Environment Trust, reflecting on how rain-induced traffic snarls have become routine for residents.

He pointed to unchecked concretisation and poor drainage infrastructure as key reasons for the recurring flooding.

“The water is not seeping into the ground as it is supposed to,” he noted, blaming the situation on a lack of long-term urban planning and haphazard development decisions. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) must take stronger, more sustained action to address these systemic issues and prevent the public from enduring such repeated crises.

“I was driving at night three days ago at a moder ate speed when I suddenly hit a wa terlogged stretch on the flyover. There was no proper lighting, so I only realised it when my car splashed into the water. I had to brake immediately. Luckily, there was no one behind me,” recalled a commuter, who was travelling from Jayanagar to Silk Board.

He said the situation remained the same on Monday with heavy flooding reported on the Outer Ring Road, its service lanes, and the stretch leading to HSR Layout. He also mentioned a minor accident on the flyover that caused a significant traffic jam. Monsoon or mayhem? Bengaluru residents have taken to social media to document their experiences amid the ongoing rains, sharing videos from autorickshaws navigating flooded streets and posting real-time updates on heavily af fected areas.

One user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote, “Hi, please bring back bike taxi. It took me an hour to book an auto at 8 am and it was expensive too,” voicing frustra tion over long wait times and soaring fares on ride-hailing apps. While many shared their daily inconveniences, others chose to romanticise the downpour.

“This year, Bangalore is Bangaloreing. Rains almost every evening,” another user posted, urging people to slow down and savour the moment with hot bajjis and tea. Is this affection for the rain a comfort only the privileged can afford from the safety of their balconies, while countless others struggle with disrupted commutes, lost work hours and f looded streets?