Caught in Current, Downpour submerges Bannerghatta Road

Clogged drains, floating garbage, and a lack of civic management turned a routine downpour into a nightmarish ordeal for commuters on Bannerghatta Main Road

Bengaluru: The Bannerghatta Main Road near Aasra Hospital turned into a nightmare on Thursday evening after a spell of heavy rain around 4:30 pm left vehicles submerged and commuters stranded. I stopped my two-wheeler near the hospital as the downpour intensified.

Within minutes, the road turned into a flood zone, with water rising rapidly and covering all the parked two-wheelers, including mine. Initially, many of us assumed the water would drain quickly. Instead, clogged drains and floating garbage worsened the situation, pushing the water level up to the footpath.

Large vehicles such as BMTC buses and trucks sped through the water, creating waves that left two-wheelers struggling to stay upright. The strong current eventually toppled my scooter, and as I tried to move towards the barely visible footpath, I almost slipped.

Thankfully, two bystanders waded into the water and helped pull my vehicle out. I was left stranded for hours on the hospital steps with a dead bike, watching several other vehicles, including auto-rickshaws and two-wheelers, stall and seize in waist-deep water.

Traffic piled up on the stretch, but there was no presence of Bengaluru Traffic Police to manage the situation. It was only by 7 pm that a friend helped me move my vehicle to a nearby garage. This was the worst instance of waterlogging I have personally experienced in the city.

Similar reports of flooding and chokehold traffic poured in from other parts of Bengaluru. Despite repeated claims from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) about clearing stormwater drains and improving infrastructure, the city continues to face the same ordeal year after year, exposing gaps in preparedness for heavy rains.                                                                                                                               — Bhavana, Reporter at News Trail