Bengaluru Rain: Key Junctions Flooded, Peak-Hour Traffic Gridlocked, Cab Fares Surge
Multiple spells of heavy rain lashed Bengaluru on Tuesday evening, inundating several parts of the city and bringing traffic to a crawl as thousands of office-goers tried to get home during the evening peak hour.
In Domlur, a portion of the compound wall of a military campus collapsed, reportedly trapping four cows underneath. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) deployed a civic team for a rescue operation. Another compound wall collapsed at Nanjamba Agrahara. No injuries were reported in either incident.
Central Bengaluru came to a standstill, with waterlogging reported at several key junctions, including Mayo Hall Court Junction, Garuda Mall Junction, Trinity Circle, Anil Kumble Junction, UB City Junction, ASC Centre (HAL) Airport Junction and Tonique Junction.
A senior traffic officer said evening traffic was affected across Central Bengaluru, with knee-level water stagnation at multiple points. “The rain started during the evening peak hour, and many office-goers were already on the road. So even the connecting roads were gridlocked,” the officer said.
Commuters struggled to find cabs and autorickshaws, and app-based fares rose sharply. Several areas in east and southeast Bengaluru also reported power outages.
Civic corporations and the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) reported tree falls at multiple locations, including near the Shivajinagar bus stand, near C.B. Road Junction towards E.S.I. Junction, and near Hosmat Hospital towards Rajamohan Roy Road. More than three trees were uprooted.
Waterlogging was reported at Kalpana Circle near Mount Carmel College, Sankey Road near High Grounds, S.J.P. Road, R.V. Teachers College and T. Mariappa Road, all of which were subsequently cleared. The stormwater drain on Nala Road overflowed, affecting traffic movement. In Chamrajpet, waterlogging on the K.R. Market up-ramp triggered congestion along Mysuru Road.
Other affected stretches included Anepalya Junction towards Mico Junction, Wilson Garden 10th Cross towards Dairy Circle, the Ayyappa Underpass in Madiwala towards Madiwala police station, N.G.O. Gate towards Passport Office Junction, Koramangala Inner Ring Road towards Indiranagar 100 Feet Road, and the Peenya flyover towards the city, among others.
Civic agencies and the traffic police jointly cleared stagnant water at several locations, even as traffic on these stretches moved at a crawl.
Aisiri Srinivas, a resident of Koramangala, said travelling home from her office near Vittal Mallya Road cost her nearly twice her usual spend. “I usually get an autorickshaw for ₹170 to ₹190, but the fare went up to ₹250. Even then, no driver accepted the ride. I had to keep increasing the tip and finally paid nearly ₹400,” she said.
Nakul S., a resident of Yelahanka, said it took him nearly two hours to reach home from M.G. Road, against the usual 70 to 75 minutes. “Even the Hebbal ramp was waterlogged, which added to the delay, apart from the traffic chaos at Anil Kumble Junction and Tonique Junction,” he said.
Tuesday’s disruption follows a pattern of monsoon and pre-monsoon downpours overwhelming the city’s stormwater drainage network in recent years. Civic agencies have been carrying out drain remodelling and desilting works across several zones, though residents in low-lying areas continue to report flooding during heavy spells.
Similar bouts of rain in recent weeks have been followed by short-term measures, including deploying pumping equipment and clearing blocked drains. Authorities have urged commuters to plan for additional travel time during evening showers and to report waterlogging on the civic helpline.
