Karnataka CM Visits Waterlogged Areas in Bengaluru; Thunderstorms Likely in City

The IMD issued a red warning for six districts and a yellow warning for the rest of the state on Thursday.

Fire brigade personnel pump water out of a flooded street in the Horamavu area of Bengaluru on  Thursday.

Photo: PTI / Shailendra Bhojak

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday, 20 May, visited several areas in Bengaluru marred by waterlogging after heavy rainfall over the past several days. The city is likely to see thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, with light to moderate spells of rain, the Meteorological Centre in Palace Road, Bengaluru, said.

The Meteorological Centre added that gusty winds (at a speed of 30-40 kmph) are also likely to affect Uttara Kannada, Belgaum, Bagalkote, and Shivamogga districts.

Meanwhile, a holiday was declared in all schools and colleges across the Dharwad district on Friday. The Hubballi district received light showers on Friday morning.

Roads Damaged, Massive Traffic Jams on Thursday

Bommai also took a tour of Bengaluru on Thursday, 19 May, to inspect the rain-related damages as heavy rains continued to wreak havoc in several parts of the state for the third consecutive day.

Waterlogging was witnessed in several parts of the city, with many roads being damaged. The city also saw massive traffic jams in many places due to fallen trees and flooding. In addition to this, families living in low-lying areas struggled to remove the rainwater that had entered their houses.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a red warning in six districts – Uttara Kannada, Davanagere, Shivamogga, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, and Chikkamagaluru – for 19 May.

Hassan and Kodagu districts were under an orange warning, while a yellow alert was issued for the rest of the state.

On Thursday, the Weather Department forecast thunderstorms and lightning with light to moderate rain and gusty winds in Bengaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Bagalkote, Chikkamagaluru, Mysuru, Haveri, Gadag, Raichur, Mandya, Chitradurga, Davangere, Koppal, Ballari, and Shivamogga.

Drop in Temperature in Bengaluru; Dams Filling Up To the Brim

The IMD recorded a maximum temperature of 22.4 degree Celsius in Bengaluru, while the minimum temperature dropped to 21.5°C as of 5.30 pm on Thursday.

The IMD recorded a maximum temperature of 23.8 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 21.2 degree Celsius at the Kempegowda International Airport station. Maximum temperatures of 22.7°C and minimum temperature of 19.9°C were recorded at the HAL airport station.

Meanwhile, the deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district, KV Rajendra, had declared a holiday to all government, aided, unaided primary and high schools on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Udupi Deputy Commissioner M Kurma Rao had instructed schools to decide on holiday as heavy rains continued in the twin coastal districts.

Many dams, including the Krishnaraja Sagar, Kabini, Harangi, Hemavathi, Almatti, Narayanapura, Bhadra, Tungabhadra, Ghataprabha, and Malaprabha, were also inching towards filling to the brim.

(With inputs from ANI, The News Minute, and PTI.)