Rain intensity reduces on Thursday in Bengaluru, but flooding continues on ORR

Despite the intensity of the rains reducing in Bengaluru on Thursday, the Outer Ring Road was still flooded, making it difficult for motorists

Despite the intensity of the rains reducing in Bengaluru on Thursday morning, the Outer Ring Road (ORR) was still flooded, making it difficult for motorists.

Traffic was still crippled on the ORR owing to water from the Savalakere lake overflowing into a nearby drain, following rains starting on Tuesday, resulting in flooding on the roads.

Though the intensity of the rains has reduced since, there was at least 2 feet of water on the ORR, starting from the Silk Board junction to Bellandur, Marathahalli, and Sarjapura Road, making it impossible for two-wheelers to pass through.

The flooding caused slow-moving traffic on the ORR, especially near Ecospace, a tech park. Residents say that the lake is overflowing after the rains and the stormwater drain (SWD) is not able to handle the inflow, which is resulting in flooding on the ORR.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mahadevaswamy, resident of Bellandur, said, “This is not the first time that the ORR is flooded and the Savalakere is overflowing. In 2017, a similar situation happened, but the agency concerned did not take any measures to solve the issue”.

“The civic body should make sure that illegal encroachments on the SWD are removed and also make the SWD big enough to handle the lake water to flow. The removal of silt and sludge from the SWD are also not done properly by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and this has led to such a situation, where the whole stretch looks like a river,” he added.

The situation was the same on the Silk Board junction, one of the most infamous traffic junctions in the city. Starting from BTM Circle towards 100 Feet Ring Road to Silk Board junction, flooding was seen near the ongoing metro construction site on the stretch.