New Delhi: Incessant heavy rains in parts of South India have left the region battered by flooding and water-logging in several places, including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Hyderabad. Normal lives have been thrown out of gear due to heavy downpour. The weather department has predicted rainfall for a few more days.
According to the IMD, widespread rainfall with isolated heavy falls and thunderstorm/lightning could take place over Tamil Nadu on September 7. On the other hand, Telangana, coastal and north interior Karnataka and Kerala will receive rainfall during the next few days.
In Karnataka, torrential rains submerged arterial roads, flooded posh apartment complexes and homes, snapped power lines, and jammed traffic. Some of the areas that are badly hit by waterlogging are Rainbow Drive Layout, Sunny Brooks Layout, Bellandur, Eco Board, and some areas on Sarjapur Road.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall is predicted over a few places in coastal and south interior Karnataka on September 7-9 and interior Karnataka on September 9-10, according to the IMD.
High-end cars were submerged, household belongings washed away, and people rode on tractors and boats with families to their safety. The Karnataka High Court directed the city civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to immediately set up cells to address the grievances of citizens affected by the heavy rains and flood situation in several areas here.
In Hyderabad, traffic jams and waterlogging were reported at several places following heavy rain. The IMD in Hyderabad predicted heavy to very heavy levels of rainfall in the state for the next four days.
A Tamil Nadu government bus with 40 people in Erode district was trapped in a flash flood on September 7 morning. Following an outflow towards the left main canal at Nagarjuna Sagar, water started entering nearby areas. Immediately, the action was taken by the administration and people were shifted to safer areas. In villages like Narasimhula Gudem and Nidamanoor, about 20 houses and a gurukula were affected. Police and revenue officials were deployed on the ground to take stock of the situation.
K’taka CM blames previous Congress regimes
As rain-battered Bengaluru still struggles to return to normal after several parts were severely inundated, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai blamed the previous Congress regime for the massive waterlogging in the city.
Blaming the opposition Congress for the crisis, he said, “The unplanned development and mismanagement during its (Congress) tenure has resulted in a flood crisis in Bengaluru”.
Furthermore, he claimed that permissions for construction in the areas of lakes, lake bunds, and buffer zones were granted recklessly and did not bother to think about the management of lakes. Congress is responsible for the present crisis, he reiterated.
