Severe rain halts Bengaluru: Children stranded in school buses, malls flooded

Bengaluru has been receiving heavy rainfall since the beginning of this week with severe rain hitting the metropolitan city on Oct 15 which left several school buses on Balagere Road stranded, flooding tech parks and malls and massive traffic congestion.

According to sources, rain-induced flooding resulted in buses from several schools stopping on the same stretch.

Extreme waterlogging affected Phoenix Mall of Asia on the Kempegowda International Airport with parts of the mall submerged which caused major disruptions for visitors and businesses.

Areas, where major technology companies like Manyata Tech Park on Outer Ring Road (ORR) and tech hubs like Sarjapur are situated, were severely affected. Many people opted for 'Work from Home' because of the immense traffic congestion in the city due to continuous rains.

Despite the severe rain forecast for Bengaluru, many parents questioned why the government hadn't declared a holiday.

Several videos and pictures of the school buses that are stuck on the flooded route have gone viral on social media.

In one video, Vagdevi Vilas School students can be seen getting off the bus with their bags and being transferred to tractors and excavators.

"Pathetic situation #BalagereRoad #ITHub. A Vibgyor school bus broke down in the flood near Disha. Parents came in tractors to rescue their children," wrote a user on X.

"Kids are being rescued using #tractors #JCB on Balagere Road. @osd_cmkarnataka @CMofKarnataka. This is the result of not having stormwater drains, encroaching on rajakaluves, and unplanned growth. Your action is critical to saving lives. #BalagereRoad #BengaluruRains," another post read.

Due to severe flooding, Balagere-Panathur Road is currently closed to traffic, according to traffic police, who advised commuters to take other routes. Additionally, citizen groups cautioned two-wheeler users to stay off of the routes that run from Balagere to ORR and HAL Road.

According to Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner G Jagadeesha, Oct 16 is declared off for anganwadis and schools.

Colleges will still be open, though. The public holiday of Oct 17 is already observed in honor of Maharshi Valmiki Jayanti.

Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said on Oct 15, "I have advised the BBMP to be on high alert. We have already deployed about 60 NDRF/SDRF personnel in Bengaluru and are redeploying another 40 to be on standby for any necessity. We have put the Fire and Emergency Services on standby for immediate response. Bengaluru district administration has declared a holiday for schools for tomorrow."

Because of the forecast for heavy rain, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an "orange" advisory for Bengaluru. In addition, a government directive states that all assisted and private schools, Anganwadi centers, and high schools in the city shall be closed on Oct 16.

For the Dussehra holidays, public schools are already closed.

“Due to continuous rains in Bengaluru, the Met Department has issued an orange alert for the next two days. As a precautionary measure in the interest of students, all taluk Anganwadi centers and private/aided primary and high schools in Bengaluru City will be closed on Wednesday,” a government order stated.

Tech hubs on Sarjapur's Outer Ring Road (ORR) and Varthur's Hebbal, Kadubeesanahalli, and neighboring roads were among those inundated with water.

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the city civic body, has established 24X7 dedicated control centers in all eight zones and created a helpline number (1533) to report rain-related issues due to the continuous and severe rains that have been plaguing Bengaluru.

BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath gave instructions to BBMP personnel via virtual meeting, asking them to remain on high alert, make emergency plans, and concentrate on areas that are vulnerable to flooding.

Residents are advised to "venture out only when necessary and be cautious," according to the BBMP.

The intense downpour was caused, according to the IMD, by a low-pressure region that developed over the Bay of Bengal. An official stated that the scenario is expected to persist for "the next three to four days" and that there would be severe rainfall in northern Karnataka over the next 24 hours.

The districts of Chikkaballapura, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Kodagu, Kolar, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Tumakuru, and coastal Karnataka are under a "yellow" alert, according to the IMD.

The first Test series between India and New Zealand, which was supposed to start on Oct 16 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, is also anticipated to be affected by the rains.

The team's practice was washed out, necessitating the cancellation of the training session. Tamil Nadu has also announced Oct 16 to be a public holiday after the IMD issued a "red" alert for "extremely heavy rainfall" over numerous districts on Oct 16.

Images from Chennai showed people swimming through knee-deep water as rain caused various areas of the city to flood. After a lot of rain, murky water filled the streets and highways.

Due to waterlogging, the Southern Railway has canceled four express trains, one of which is the Chennai Central-Mysuru Kaveri Express. When not enough people showed up to use the services, numerous domestic flights were canceled, and bus services were impacted in several locations.