'The water had reached knee level': Bengaluru's HBR Layout wakes up to major flooding
Mubeen, a 40-year-old resident of HBR Layout in Bengaluru, was asleep on Tuesday night when she was awoken by the sound of water gushing. She woke up to find that water had entered their home.
"The water had reached knee level before we woke up. We packed whatever we could and headed upstairs to our neighbour's house," says Mubeen.
Her neighborhood in HBR Layout's 1st stage grappled with rising water levels on Tuesday night after a spell of heavy rains. Parts of Sahakar Nagar, Horamavu and HBR Layout reported flooding on Wednesday following the rains.
In HBR Layout, water mixed with drainage from a storm-water drain near the railway track spilled into low-lying residential areas and plunged the residents into chaos around 1.30 am.
On Wednesday morning, residents assessed the damage in their homes. Many were seen scooping water out of their homes and drying the household items damaged by the rains. "Our grocery items were submerged in the water and now we have no more rice left," Mubeen says.
Several residents were checking their vehicles and complaining that it was not starting due to excessive water entering inside. "The situation is the same across the neighborhood. Many of us have our vehicles outside but the engines are not starting because too much water has entered inside," says Rajat, a software professional living in the area.
Residents complained that there were no boats rescuing people and helpline numbers weren't responsive on Tuesday night. "We tried helpline numbers but there was no help forthcoming. The electricity was not shut off so there was the risk of electrocution. There was a smell of gas and petrol in the air in the night," Mubeen says.
Flooding is not uncommon in HBR Layout as it is a low-lying area. The rains on Tuesday night began around 10:30 pm and continued till the early hours of Wednesday morning according to residents.
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"There was high intensity rains in Bengaluru last night. Many places in Bengaluru excluding the southern zone and Bommanahalli zone recorded over 100 mm rainfall last night. Since it was in the night, it did not disrupt traffic but low-lying areas were flooded," Subha Avinash, a scientific officer in the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) tells TNM.
According to figures compiled by KSNDMC, rainfall measured in HBR Layout was 108.5 mm. In other areas like RT Nagar, the rain recorded was 139 mm.
Long-time residents in HBR Layout point to a storm-water drain close to the railway track in HBR Layout for aggravating the floods. "There is a storm-water drain where the water flows down usually. We don't know the reason but water is blocked from flowing in the storm-water drain and it gushes into residential areas
Do we pay all our hard earned money in taxes for staying like this .
— Namma HBR (@NammaHBR) September 8, 2020
What do u want us to do in such situation no help can reach at this time.
People are stranded running for their life.
Trying to save their hard earned money
Will the govt do something about it ? pic.twitter.com/TVhFjcZMos
P Anand, Corporator of HBR Layout told TNM that a vent near the railway underpass needs to be widened to address the issue of the low-lying residential areas flooding. "There needs to be a wider vent near the railway underpass to allow water to flow. We have written letters asking for this to be done," says P Anand.
The corporator sprung into action early on Wednesday morning, arranging pumps and coordinating relief efforts. But he says that there is no way to be completely prepared for the possibility of floods. "It was a sunny day yesterday and even this morning is bright and sunny. The rains last night were unexpected. We have to address the issue of the water from the storm-water draining entering the roads in the area," Anand says.