Heavy rain that lashed Bengaluru through Saturday evening left a trail of destruction, flooding roads and houses, causing tree falls, and throwing traffic and life out of gear.
Motorists were seen struggling to wade through waterlogged roads in several parts of the city. Many residential areas also reported flooding. Neelufar Ahmad from Sai Layout, which has seen several episodes of rain-related misery, said parts of the layout were flooded again on Saturday – a first since the city started receiving pre-monsoon rains. “The water level is increasing, and if the rain continues, the situation will worsen,” she said on Saturday night.
A view from Minsk Square in the central business district in Bengaluru on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
K. MURALI KUMAR
Traffic was hit too. “There was massive pile up in most places that I travelled to. We left Kanakapura Road at 6.45 p.m. to Ulsoor, and when we reached Double Road, Google Maps was showing another 45 minutes to go,” said Subramanya.
Multiple roads including Sakra hospital road, a portion of Sarjapur road and others were inundated early on Saturday morning too. The locals in the area say that the BBMP has consecutively failed to deliver the promise of resolving the flooding issue here and ongoing road workers at Sakra hospital road have worsened the situation.
A view from Cubbon Road during the heavy rain on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
K. MURALI KUMAR
Between 6 pm and 9 pm, a total of eight tree fall complaints were reported across different zones in the city. The highest number of tree falls was reported in the South Zone, with three incidents. East, Mahadevapura, Yelahanka, and West zones each reported one tree fall, while Dasarahalli, Bommanahalli, and R.R. Nagar reported none.
More rain forecast
Bengaluru will continue to get respite from the summer heat as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast rainfall and thundershowers till May 21. A yellow alert has been issued for the city.
As per the IMD, parts of Karnataka are also likely to witness heavy showers and thunderstorms on Sunday, with gusty winds reaching speeds of 40–50 kmph.
People crossing Cubbon Road through the traffic amid heavy rain in Bengaluru on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
K. MURALI KUMAR
According to the IMD, areas including Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Chikkaballapura, Chitradurga, Kolar, Ballari, Ramanagara, and Tumakuru may experience isolated heavy rain or thunderstorms, accompanied by strong winds. Meanwhile, several districts like Chamarajanagar, Chikkamagaluru, Mandya, Davanagere, Hassan, Kodagu, Mysuru, and Shivamogga can expect light to moderate rain and thunderstorms, with similar wind conditions.
Two injured
Meanwhile, two persons were injured due to tree-fall on Thursday afternoon. According to the BBMP, the injured have been identified as Aslam, 33, from Shivajinagar, and T. Rangaswamy, 38, from Devanahalli. The incident occurred when a tall tree came down, crashing at Shivananda Circle. The incident also sparked anger as the BBMP failed to prune/axe tree despite repeated complaints.
The crowded Cubbon Park metro station during the rain on Saturday evening. Many people who had come for the IPL match were stuck at the station because of the heavy rain.
| Photo Credit:
Giridhar Narayan.
Published – May 17, 2025 11:58 pm IST
