Though commonly regarded as the ‘Silicon Valley’ of India, Karnataka’s capital city of Bengaluru saw its roads and streets turn into rivers. On May 20 alone, Bengaluru City received 37.2 mm rainfall during the 24-hour time period from 8:30 am on May 19 and 8:30 am on May 20. A recent forecast by India Meteorological Department suggested, “Maximum and minimum temperature are very likely to be around 27°C and 21°C respectively.”

Given the current situation, the Karnataka capital has been branded ‘Leaky Bengaluru‘ on social media, while the government in power has been under scrutiny as taxpayers’ money continues to wash down the drain. As infrastructure fails the people of the IT hub, many have urged their multi-national employers to grant either leaves or Work From Home accessibility. Despite the entry routes to apartments being drowned by water-logging, no such relief has officially been announced as of now.

The Bengaluru heavy rains have become all about record-breaking stats equally breaking people’s hearts and the government’s “irresponsibility.”

Here’s the latest on the Bengaluru rains:

Bengaluru rains update

1. Forecast: According to IMD data, Bengaluru witnessed 105.mm of heavy rainfall with the 24-hour mark concluding at 8:30 am on May 19, marking the second-highest in 15 years. Even after the weekend rain havoc, Bengaluru city continued to be hit with 130 mm of rain from Sunday evening to early Monday morning.

The IMD extended rainfall alert all through Sunday, May 25. The initial forecast indicated these warnings to terminate on Thursday.

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A red alert was issued for Coastal and South Interior Karnataka for May 20 and 21. Yellow alert persists across various parts in Karnataka, while an orange alert was issued for the capital city on Tuesday. IMD Bengaluru Centre Director N Puviarasu said that the orange alert indicated 8 cm to 10 cm of rainfall would impact Bengaluru.

The forecast also established that moderate rainfall, thundershowers with lightning and gusty wind reaching 30-40 kmph are expected in Bagalkot, Belagavi, Dharwad, Gadag, Koppal, Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, and Kolar today.

2. Bengaluru water-logging: Early Tuesday morning, Bengaluru Traffic Police reported slow-moving traffic due to water logging in the areas: Queens Road towards Anil Kumble junction, Pothalappa Garden towards Anepalya, RV Dental College towards Lalabagh West Gate, Silk Board Metro station towards HSR Layout, MPS junction towards Silk Board, Jayadeva hospital towards East End Circle, Varthur College towards Varthur Kodi junction, Cottonpet towards Sulthanpet Circle, Bilekahalli towards G D Mara, Sarakki junction towards Sindhur Junction, Puttenahalli main road towards Kothanuru Dinne Junction, Mysore Road Tollgate towards Hosaguddadahalli junction and more.

Due to a fallen tree, the road from Bengaluru’s Cantonment Railway Station towards Mekkhri Circle is also witnessing slow-moving traffic.

“Slow moving traffic at yamalpur village towards kampapura due to rain and water logging on win tunal road,” Citizens Movement, East Bengaluru tweeted on Tuesday morning.

A user on X even shared visuals of Panathur railway underbridge, labelling it as the road to his friend’s office, with the office being an extension of a “multi-billion $ company in Bangalore.”

3. Bengaluru rain death toll rises to 3: As the rainfall nightmare continued in Karnataka on Monday, three people, including a 12-year-old boy, were killed. With Bengaluru already at a standstill, these rain-related tragedies claimed the life of a woman named Shashikala, a private company employee, on Monday. She succumbed to her injuries after a wet compound wall collapsed on her in Whitefield. The other two victims lost their lives to electrocution while trying to pump out water from an apartment’s basement. The ID’ed victims were 63-year-old Manohar Kamath, and 12-year-old Dinesh

4. Record rainfall: Mangaluru AP recorded the most rainfall at 94.1 mm, according to the Bengaluru Meteorological Department. Meanwhile, Bengaluru City recorded 25.4 mm rainfall since last evening till Tuesday morning. Other stats showed Bengaluru HAL AP being hit with 11.4 mm rain, Gadag with 9.4 mm and Chitradurga with 4.0 mm during the same time frame.

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5. Road shut due to flooding: An advisory was issued for commuters on Tuesday, noting that Hosur road would be temporarily shut due to heavy flooding. “…Hosur road in Bengaluru will be temporarily closed between Silkboard and Rupena Agrahara. The elevated flyover is also closed,” the Bangalore City Police said.

6. Other fears tied to Bengaluru rains – drain overflow, horrors: Balaji Layout Park in Vajarahalli witnessed an overflowing drain on Monday evening. Residents of the area told The Indian Express that the same issue persists every season. On the other hand, fear prevails among those living in Sai Layout, as snakes have entered their houses.

UPDATE – 7. WFH finally greenlit? US-based IT firm Cognizant Technology Solutions has since mandated work from home on May 20, according to Moneycontrol’s sources.

8. Political crossfire: Offering an update on rain mitigation efforts, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that 70% of the 210 flood-prone areas identified across Bengaluru have been fixed, according to ANI.

“We had identified 210 flood-prone areas in the city. Since taking charge as Bengaluru Development Minister, we have resolved issues in 166 of those locations. Work is in progress in 24 areas, and action will soon begin in the remaining 20,” he said. In an effort to build on flood prevention measures, the Shivakumar noted that 197 km of stormwater drained have been constructed. Additionally noting the 132 spots vulnerable to flood during heavy rains, he added, “We’ve fixed 82 of these. Work on the remaining 41 spots is pending.”

Meanwhile, the Leader of Opposition R Ashoka accused DK Shivakumar of being bent more towards politics than anything else. “What Karnataka Congress promised: Brand Bengaluru, What Karnataka Congress delivered: Beach Bengaluru. Part-time Bengaluru Development Minister DK Shivakumar, if you are done with your brother DK Suresh’s Milk Union Elections, kindly give some time to Bengaluru,” he said.

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On top of that, BJP leader Amit Malviya tweeted: “Bengaluru has been turned into Venice after just one spell of rain. The Congress’s apathy has ruined Silicon City. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar have no vision for this global city other than using it as an ATM to fill their coffers.”

Former chief minister and Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy also continued the criticism of the Congress government, saying that the Karnataka capital city was no longer ‘Greater Bengaluru,’ but the ‘Looters’ Bengaluru.

On Monday morning, Ashok Mruthyunjaya, AAP spokesperson from Bengaluru, also joined the debate, saying, “This is Bangalore for you. It was the same during the @BJPKarnataka regime. It is the same now during the @INCKarnataka regime.”

Sharing disturbing visuals of water-logged regions that have compelled city life to come to a halt, he wrote, “This is Koramangala for you.”