Several schools in Karnataka have declared holidays due to heavy rains this week; the state capital, Bengaluru, is on a ‘yellow alert’ for Thursday. Heavy rains hit the city on Tuesday and Wednesday, flooding over 3,000 homes and causing property damage worth lakhs of rupees.
Schools in districts such as Dakshina Kannada, Shivamogga, Mandya, and Mysuru have also declared holidays and sent students home. Anganavadis, primary schools, higher primary schools, and even high schools have reportedly declared holidays.
Bengaluru has received 114.6 mm of rain since Tuesday evening, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) – more than 100 mm in less than 12 hours. The weather service has issued a warning for today.
According to the Bengaluru Meteorological Centre, the minimum temperature could drop to 21.5 degrees Celsius on Thursday, with 93 percent humidity.
Heavy rain is also forecast for parts of north Bengaluru, including the Kempegowda International Airport.
Bengaluru is expected to have a cloudy sky for the next 24 to 48 hours, with a few isolated spells of rain and thundershowers, which could be heavy at times.
Twitter has also been inundated with images and videos of flooded roads and homes. “Heavy rainfall has wreaked havoc in Bengaluru, uprooting trees and flooding houses, and more rainfall is expected in the next 24 hours,” one user wrote alongside a photo of a house flooded with knee-deep water.
The city’s Horamavu area, which is part of the Mahadevapura zone, received the city’s highest rainfall, 155 mm.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, the city’s civic body, has begun clearing roads of fallen trees and pumping water out of homes.
Basavaraj Bommai, the chief minister of Karnataka, had stated that special arrangements would be made to provide food and other essential items to flood victims, but several people were reported to be without food until Wednesday.
