It’s Bengaluru that is grabbing headlines with floating cars, submerged roads, and the water supply hit. But intense rainfall is wreaking havoc not only in the IT hub but also in other districts of southern Karnataka and parts of Kerala
The monsoon mayhem continues in Karnataka and Kerala. And it’s worrisome in more ways than one. In the first week of September, the withdrawal of the monsoon commences. However, that seems unlikely right now.
Torrential rains continue to batter the southern states, causing large-scale devastation and throwing life out of gear. But what’s the reason behind the untimely downpour? We explain.
Devastation in Bengaluru, southern Karnataka
The southern districts of Karnataka have witnessed a wet season since June. This year, the state has recorded 894.7 mm of rainfall, which is an excess of 33 per.
Bengaluru has been the worst hit. In August, the IT capital received 184.4 mm of rainfall, the highest in four years. The last month has been the second wettest August for the city, according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD)
Some parts of Karnataka have witnessed non-stop rain for over a week.
Also read: Cry Me a River: Why Bengaluru suffers from flooding repeatedly
Now overnight downpour has brought the capital city to a standstill. Around 430 houses have been completely damaged in the floods and 2,188 others have suffered partial damage. About 225 km of roads, bridges, culverts and electric poles have also been damaged. There have been power cuts in certain parts of Bengaluru.
On Tuesday, a 23-year-old woman died in the Siddapura area near Marathahalli near Bengaluru. After her two-wheeler broke down on a waterlogged road, she tried to hold an electric pole and was electrocuted.
Floating cars, submerged villas
Boats and tractors were deployed in certain parts of Bengaluru like Yemalur, Rainbow Drive layout, Sunny Brooks Layout, Marathahalli that were underwater. “Water has not receded, as there was rain once again last night (Monday), in fact, I feel it has increased. I have to go to the office, kids have schools, and I somehow used a tractor today. Request the government and authorities to do something and restore normalcy,” an office goer told News18.
Cars were seen floating in waterlogged Basvanagar and luxury villas were completely flooded with rescue ops underway.
Traffic woes in the city are an everyday occurrence but the rains have made the snarls even worst. On Tuesday, a Bengaluru airport spokesperson said that flights have been slightly delayed because of bad weather conditions.
The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) warned of water supply disruption in several areas of the city on Monday and Tuesday. A pumphouse in Mandya, which has been flooded, is being cleaned.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that 8,000 borewells would supply water to affected areas and in areas with no borewells, water would be supplied through tankers.
Schools and colleges have declared a holiday because of waterlogging.
The waterlogging in Bengaluru has thrown light on the fallout of unplanned urbanisation. PTI
Bommai has said the state government has decided to release Rs 300 crore to tackle the emergency in the city. Another Rs 300 crore will be used to tackle the rain and flood situation in other parts of the state.
This is the second time in a week that the IT hub has witnessed massive flooding, leading to outrage among residents over alleged misgovernance. Rampant corruption, unplanned construction, and poor engineering have made led the city to crumble. The Bengaluru civic body has identified encroachment on 500 storm water drains, which is leaving it waterlogged time and again.
The Gadag district in Karnataka, which has been devastated by rain, received 122.3 mm of rainfall on Monday. More rain is expected on Tuesday.
Heavy rain is also likely to occur at isolated places in Bagalkote, Dharwad, Haveri, Koppal, Raichur and Vijayapura districts. These districts have been put on yellow alert by the IMD, reports News18.
Boats are used to rescue people stranded because of the flooding in Bengaluru. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the authorities are working round the clock to keep the city afloat. PTI
Red alert, flash floods in Kerala
While three months of the monsoon are over, Kerala’s rainfall reached the “normal” mark only recently. But the past few days, have seen continuous rainfall in the state.
The IMD has issued a red alert for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, and Idukki districts for Tuesday and an orange alert for Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Ernakulam districts.
An orange alert has also been issued for Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, and Kannur with predictions of heavy rain on Tuesday, a day before Onam.
Two persons, including an eight-year-old, lost their lives after being swept away in flash floods at Mankayam waterfall near the capital city, Thiruvananthapuram. The flash flood occurred on Sunday and police said that a group of 10 people had visited the area.
Other states put on alert
The IMD has forecast heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and lightning in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh on 8 and 9 September. Meanwhile, Lakshadweep, Telangana and coastal Andhra Pradesh are also expected to witness “very heavy rainfall” on September 7 and 9.
Firefighters help an elderly woman move to a safer area after heavy rainfall in Bengaluru. Life for many in the city is disrupted after torrential rains. AP
The reasons for the manic monsoon
Dr Geeta Agnihotri, head of the Regional Meteorological Centre, Bengaluru, told indiatoday.in that the very heavy rains in Bengaluru city were because of the shear zone that had formed. “It’s a normal occurrence during monsoons just as the formation of troughs, circulations, and low-pressure regions that drive monsoonal rains,” she said.
A shear zone is a monsoon weather feature that is an area filled with opposing winds concentrating heavy rain in that zone, the report says.
The position of the monsoon trough is favouring rainfall in Karnataka and Kerala. It is a low-pressure area, which is a semi-permanent feature of the circulation of monsoon. When the trough migrates southward, it results in a heavy monsoon.
In contrast, the northward migration of this trough leads to a break in monsoon conditions over a major part of India and heavy rains along the foothills of the Himalayas and sometimes floods in the Brahmaputra river, according to IMD.
With inputs from agencies
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