National Disaster Response Force personnel transported a survivor to an ambulance from a partially constructed building that collapsed in Bengaluru on October 22, 2024. — AFP
Schools were closed, and residents worked from home in India's tech hub of Bengaluru on Wednesday, as the heaviest rainfall in nearly three decades once again paralyzed the city. Bengaluru has increasingly become a victim of monsoon rains in recent years, with flooded streets, uprooted trees, and clogged drains becoming a yearly occurrence in the city of 14 million. This year, a weather station in the northern part of the city recorded 186 mm of rainfall on Monday, the highest single-day total since 1997. As of Tuesday, Bengaluru had received 211.7 mm of rain this month, nearly double the usual amount for this period, according to data from the India Meteorological Department. The resulting chaos has reignited concerns about the unplanned development of 'India's Silicon Valley,' which hosts thousands of startups and global giants like Walmart and Alphabet's Google.
'If it rains for even half an hour, flooding occurs,' said Saurabh Kumar, a Wipro employee who lives in an apartment complex that uses tractors to transport residents to and from the entrance during heavy rains.
A man carrying utensils waded through a flooded street in Bengaluru on October 22, 2024. — AFP
About 18 km from the city in Babusapalya, heavy rain caused a building under construction to collapse, resulting in the deaths of five workers. The local government has advised all private companies to allow their employees to work from home after the weather department issued an alert through Thursday, warning of continued rainfall. 'Water is coming into my house from my kitchen chimney,' said Sadhana Subramanian, 40, a resident in the Banaswadi locality who has been permitted to work from home. 'I get scared when it rains too much because then it means there'll be no electricity.' Companies such as Deloitte, Mercedes Benz R&D India, and Nokia have encouraged employees to work from home. Some residents, like Joshey John, who must commute to work, lamented the 'lack of vision in developing the city.' He said he decided to buy a motorcycle after spending about two hours to cover 11 km by car during the rains.
Bengaluru, once known as a 'pensioner's paradise' for its moderate climate, has seen its population surge in recent decades as it transformed into a tech hub, but its infrastructure has not kept pace. 'Whatever (development) is happening in our city is unplanned. So, the environment, the drainage networks, the wetlands are being destroyed,' said Sandeep Anirudhan, founder of the activist group Coalition for Water Security. Over the last four decades, the city has lost 88% of its green cover, while areas covered by concrete have increased 11-fold, according to studies by the Indian Institute of Science. This has led to low infiltration of rainwater, making more than 85% of Bengaluru vulnerable to flooding, according to a study published in the Journal of Landscape Ecology. The issue is exacerbated by structures built on former lake beds, where water would previously percolate during rains, said Veena Srinivasan, executive director at the environment-focused non-profit organization WELL Labs. Additionally, a network of drains designed to connect lakes and capture rainwater are blocked with solid waste in several areas, leading to overflow.
'More work is required to be done by the city's municipal body for de-clogging and widening stormwater drains. That will help reduce instances of such flooding,' said a senior disaster response force official, who declined to be named as they are not authorized to speak to the media. Bengaluru's civic body did not respond to a Reuters' request for comment.
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