The city witnessed 47.9 mm of sustained monsoon rain since afternoon up till 11.30 pm on Friday. Although the rains were at no point very heavy, it was incessant — a characteristic of monsoon rains in the subcontinent.
The downpour caused chaos across the city with several tree falls and flooding in low-lying areas.
Meanwhile, a wall collapse claimed the life of a 55-year-old garment factory worker on Friday morning in Ramamurthy Nagar, while the heavy rains on Thursday evening caused a huge tree to collapse on Sampige Road, disrupting the morning traffic in the area.
Morning traffic on the road, including BMTC buses, were diverted to proceed against the one-way rule on the Malleswaram 8th Cross Market Road, which normally sees one-way traffic moving from Margosa Road (parallel to Sampige Road) towards Sampige Road.
The sudden change in traffic movement due to the obstruction on Sampige Road was rightly taken by the Malleswaram traffic police to avoid a huge traffic jam that would have occurred otherwise. However, the sudden change in traffic took many an ignorant motorist driving that way by surprise in the early part of the day.
According to BBMP control room officials, another tree fell in BTM Layout while residents and traders on the busy JC Road reported water-logging in several areas of the locality.
Traffic jams were reported in several parts of the city, including Majestic, Minsk Square, Richmond Road, JC Road, and Residency Road, besides the inner areas of the congested residential localities of Rajajinagar 1st Block and Yeshwanthpur.
Commuters the worst hit
The continuous rains since Friday afternoon meant misery for pedestrians and commuters, who found it extremely difficult to move around from one point to another in the city. Autorickshaw drivers, like always in such circumstances, proved their mettle in transforming the age-old adage ‘make hay while the sun shines’ to ‘make hay while it rains’. The auto drivers either charged double or more than the meter, or plainly refused to go where the distressed passengers wanted to.
Although BMTC buses were plying, they were bursting at their seams with many of those refused by auto drivers taking the buses as an alternative to reach their destinations.
Weekend could be a wet blanket
The meteorological department has forecast cloudy weather with spells of rains accompanied by thundershowers on Saturday and Sunday. The met officials have advised people to be ready with water-proof clothing or umbrellas while on their weekend outings.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}