Heavy rains on October 21 caused widespread flooding in north Bengaluru, particularly affecting areas like Yelahanka and those around the Doddabommasandra lake. The Kendriya Vihar apartments in Yelahanka, which were home to former President APJ Abdul Kalam, were among the worst-hit, facing flooding for the second time in less than a week. Videos shared on social media showed submerged cars and two-wheelers, with rescue boats deployed to evacuate residents.
According to Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda the flooding was due to Doddabommasandra lake overflowing after a cloudburst, flooding surrounding areas like Vidyaranyapura, where waterlogging reached up to four feet inside homes and on roads in Kuvempu Nagar and Basava Samithi Layout. Krishna Byre Gowda visited the affected areas and said that the lake had overflowed for the first time in 17 years.
“Due to a cloudburst, Doddabommasandra lake is overflowing after more than 17 years. Due to this, layouts in low-lying areas in and around Vidyaranyapura are flooded. I am trying to expedite BBMP relief work,” the Minister said.
He added, “Since heavy rains have lashed the area in a short period of time, the lake has overflowed. There are storm water drains (SWDs) around the lake, but if a lake overflows by one or two feet, it will fill the storm water drains and lead to overflowing on roads. The water levels of the lake and inundated roads have started depleting slowly, and will be cleared in the next 2-3 hours…I have spoken to BBMP officials and have requested for pumps to be arranged to clear water from flooded basements and houses. We are also having a meeting on what the action plan must be if the city receives rains once again at night.”
Other areas in north Bengaluru, including Tatanagar, Bhadrappa Layout, Kodigehalli, and Hebbal Sarovara, also experienced flooding, with some locations witnessing water levels as high as six feet. Residents in these areas faced power outages in addition to waterlogging.
BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath inspected affected zones on Tuesday, October 22, and said that 4,000 houses in 10 layouts of the Yelahanka zone were impacted. “The water levels increased slowly through the night, and will come down at the same pace. We have made arrangements for the supply of food packets for residents around Doddabommasandra lake…Inundation in Kendriya Vihar is up to six feet. A total of 16 boats have been arranged at Kendriya Vihar, and residents are being evacuated. We are making arrangements for 10 more boats for faster evacuation of residents,” he said.
The apartment complex is prone to flooding whenever heavy rains hit the city. Earlier on October 16, the Kendriya Vihar apartments were inundated with three feet of water after heavy rainfall. The BBMP responded by deploying tractors to evacuate residents from flooded areas and setting up a help desk to provide essential supplies, including water, milk, bread, and biscuits.
Before that, on October 6, the basement of Kendriya Vihar was flooded, submerging vehicles after a 50-foot section of the compound wall collapsed. This breach caused water from Yelahanka Lake to flood the premises.