Daijiworld Media Network

BANGALORE, May 9 (TOI): The clouds played peekaboo for a week, watering hopes of a wet spell. On Tuesday evening, the skies finally burst open. Gusty winds followed by a downpour set the tone for a pleasant evening. Though several parts of the city were flooded, Bangaloreans cheered the showers that brought respite from the heat and humidity. The Met department recorded..... mm rain.

"The pre-monsoon season has set in. Now on, we can expect regular showers. Also, the trough of pressure between Vidarbha and South Tamil Nadu belt is likely to bring rainfall to Bangalore and the surrounding areas," said the duty officer with the Met department.

The city recorded a maximum temperature of 34.5 degrees and minimum of 23.4 degrees Celsius. The mercury will plummet further if rain continues for the next two days, the officer said.

"The showers came as a big relief. The dry heat was making it difficult for us to step out in the afternoon. I hope the weather remains pleasant," said Sheela Ranganath, a homemaker from Malleswaram.

But Richard Verghese, a senior citizen on Museum Road, said the ground realities can't be ignored. "Rain has once again come as a wake-up call for the BBMP. The streets are already flooded and we expect it to only worsen during the monsoon. It is difficult to walk on our road."

TRAFFIC JAMS UP

As usual, the heavy shower resulted in traffic clogs across the city. The BBMP control room reported tree falls on Hennur Road, Padmanabha Nagar, Dollars Colony and Banashankari 2nd stage, but there were no injuries.

Commuters were stuck on flooded roads across Bangalore - from Kasturba Road, Hosur Road, Ring Road, Madiwala surroundings to Lalbagh Road.

Mayor D Venkatesh Murthy rushed to the control room to attend calls from citizens.

More than 25 houses in DJ Halli ward in Bangalore East were inundated with rainwater mixed with sewage water. "Construction of a storm water linking drain in DJ Halli is one of works I've been trying to pursue, but till now, nothing has happened. While the project cost is just Rs 50 lakh, BBMP has spent Rs 18 lakh in financial aid to houses inundated during the monsoon in the past two years. BBMP officials claim the files are missing," said R Sampath Raj, DJ Halli corporator.

Vidya Shankar, president of South Residents' Welfare and Cultural Association, BTM Layout, said, "BTM Layout is a low-lying area, and gets water-logged. BBMP must desilt drains from Silk Board to HSR Layout, and remove plastic bags before the monsoon."

Whitefield resident Reshma Kaur also complained of drain water overflowing on to the road and entering courtyards and gardens. "This is a perennial problem with Borewell Road in Whitefield. When it rains, mud accumulates on the road and vehicles get stuck," she said.

Water-logging was also reported in Nagarabhavi, Mysore Road, Gandhinagar and Nagavara.