Kendriya Vihar flooded again; residents evacuated for eight days  

A total of 4,000 houses in 10 layouts of Yelahanka zone have been affected by the rains, says BBMP Chief Commissioner

Heavy overnight rains in Bengaluru on Tuesday (October 22, 2024) led to flooding and inundation of several areas in North Bengaluru, specifically in Yelahanka and areas around Doddabommasandra Lake. For the second time in two weeks, Kendriya Vihar apartment complex at Yelahanka was inundated, forcing the BBMP to evacuate residents for the next eight days.

BBMP chief visits

BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath inspected areas around the lake and Kendriya Vihar. He said, “The areas in the northern part of the city have experienced severe rains leading to overflowing of lakes. Even with good stormwater drains, the amount of rain the areas have received will lead to an overflow of drains. A total of 4,000 houses in 10 layouts of Yelahanka zone have been affected by the rains. The water levels increased slowly through the night and will come down at the same pace”.  

“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. As there is a prediction of rainfall for the next 3-4 days, we have planned to evacuate the residents for eight days,” he added.

Speaking to The Hindu, Amruth Kiran, a resident of the apartment, said, “One more compound wall has collapsed, and there’s way more water this time. We have been told to evacuate, and NDRF boats are here. There will be no drinking water or power for the next 24-48 hours.”

Evacuation process

Shiva Prasad, president of Kendriya Vihar apartments, said that with the help of BBMP and the NDRF personnel, 80% of the residents had been evacuated by evening. “A few more residents will be evacuated by night. Some of us will stay back at the apartment, along with the BBMP, NDRF, and police personnel. The police and our guards will keep watch of the apartment all night and alert us if something has to be done.

Mr. Prasad said the BBMP had provided accommodation for all residents at a community hall, “But most residents have decided to go to a friend’s or relative’s place or a hotel. The BBMP has announced evacuation for eight days, but we think 3-4 days will be good enough for us to clean the entire apartment and get back here,” he added.  

Kendriya Vihar houses 604 apartments with about 2,500 residents. To temporarily stop the water from entering the apartment, sandbags have been placed by the corporation. Additionally, a makeshift drain has been created next to the stormwater drain to allow the water to flow out.

Overflowing lake

Several areas in North Bengaluru, including Tatanagar, Bhadrappa Layout, Balaji Layout, Kodigehalli, and Hebbal Sarovara, were flooded following the overflow of Doddabommasandra Lake. In some places, water levels rose as high as six feet, and residents reported power outages in the affected areas. According to a release by the BBMP, water entered 1,030 residences in the Yelahanka zone, with 150 being the highest number of houses flooded in Basava Samithi, 135 in Bhadrappa Layout, and 125 houses in Tata Nagar.

“Due to cloudburst in and around Vidyaranyapura surrounding areas, the Doddabommasandra Lake is overflowing after more than 17 years. Due to overflowing, lake water is flooding lower layouts,” said Revenue Minister Krishna Byregowda.

Published - October 23, 2024 07:02 am IST