Bengaluru braces for another day of traffic snarls, waterlogging, as IMD reiterates yellow alert

Bengaluru: The yellow alert issued on May 18 to some regions in Karnataka, including Bengaluru, remains valid for Monday and Tuesday as well, said IMD Bengaluru centre Director N Puviarasu.

Speaking to PTI, he said the department is studying the current pattern of the air circulation and will later issue a weather update.

"As per the current pattern of the cyclonic circulation, Karnataka, especially the coastal parts, will get heavy rainfall. Bengaluu is also expected to receive heavy rainfall for the next two days," said Puviarasu.

On Sunday, Bengaluru was battered by intense rains that led to severe waterlogging in several low-lying areas.

Yellow alert could possibly result in temporary disruption of electricity in some areas, minor traffic snarls and possible uprooting of weak trees and branches, warned the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

On Sunday, IMD had issued a yellow alert for heavy rainfall across 23 districts in Karnataka, including Bengaluru, till Thursday.

The alert warned of moderate to heavy thundershowers, lightning, and gusty winds reaching speeds of 50 - 60 km/h. Widespread rainfall and thunderstorms are expected throughout the week.

The affected districts include Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Tumakuru, Mandya, Mysuru, Hassan, Kodagu, Belagavi, Bidar, Raichur, Yadgir, Davanagere, and Chitradurga.

As per the alert issued by IMD this morning, inclement weather is being driven by an upper-air cyclonic circulation over the Southeast Bay of Bengal and parts of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, along with a trough extending from Telangana to North Tamil Nadu, which is pulling in significant moisture and intensifying rainfall across southern India.

Bengaluru city alone received 103 mm of rain in the last 24 hours, according to an IMD bulletin.

One of the worst rain-affected areas in Bengaluru so far was Sai Layout in Horamavu, which falls in the Mahadevapura zone. On Saturday, pre-monsoon rain submerged the layout with 4-5ft of water, leaving streets flooded to knee level.

According to some news reports, the residents have blamed clogged drains and claimed that despite repeated complaints to the authorities, they were not cleaned.

Water entered homes in NC Colony on Tannery Road as well.

Although no injuries have been reported, a tree that was uprooted in the heavy rains in Jayanagar fell on a parked car and a jeep, damaging them. East End Road towards Mount Carmel School Road was also temporarily closed as a tree fell on the stretch.

Waterlogged roads in different parts of the city had made commuting a nightmare for people.

Despite constant traffic alerts by the traffic police about slow-moving traffic in several places, people pushing their stuck cars in knee-deep water could be spotted at places like Panathur S Cross, upper ramp of Domlur flyover and Koramangala, which are prone to waterlogging. Traffic was also slow near Manyata Tech Park.

Several parts of Karnataka have also been receiving good rainfall, especially Malenadu region and coastal Karnataka.