India flood
© DH


City receives 1,621.6 mm rain this year, surpassing the record set in 2005


With rains continuing to lash the city, Bengaluru galloped to an all-time record for the wettest year.

By Saturday evening, the city had witnessed 1,621.6 mm of rainfall this year, surpassing the current all-time record of around 1,600 mm in 2005, according to India Meteorological Department data.

In the past two months, Bengaluru received, on average, more than the rainfall it would see in a year.

But in the wake of this was destruction and loss of lives. At least 15 people have died in rain-related incidents this year.

Apart from this, battered infrastructure was held responsible for the deaths of five people in pothole-related accidents.

Late Friday, a woman was rescued from her car after it got caught in the swirling currents over the Vrishbhavathi bridge at Nayanadanahalli.

The push to the record was seen on Friday night when the city saw 34 mm of rainfall in the IMD station at Palace Road.

However, in west Bengaluru, the story was worse. Nandini Layout saw 95 mm of rain, much of it on Friday evening, while 13 gauges operated by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre saw excess of 64.5 mm of rainfall.

Chaos reigned in the areas in the aftermath, with numerous households struggling to remove sewage water that entered their homes.

In the midst of this, politicians across the spectrum, who landed there in an attempt to assuage the misery, received a earful from residents.

The body of Vasudev, 32, a priest who fell into a rajakaluve in Kurubarahalli on Friday was found on Saturday morning - a km away from his residence - by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) who had conducted search operations through the night. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah assured compensation for the family.

NDRF personnel are continuing the search for the bodies of Ningamma, 57, and her daughter Pushpa, 22, who were reportedly washed away in a drain at Laggere.