Bengaluru faced relentless flooding on Wednesday following days of heavy rainfall, causing waterlogging in major areas such as Bellandur, HSR Layout, Koramangala, and Whitefield. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has now issued an orange alert for the city.
The most severe impact was felt in the city’s urbanized lakebeds, particularly at Manyata Tech Park. Located in Nagawara along the Outer Ring Road, the tech park experienced significant flooding on October 15, which was worsened by a landslide-like collapse of a retaining wall. The collapse occurred near Gate No. 2 of the Manyata Embassy Business Park, a 300-acre site, close to an ongoing excavation project.
Footage shared online captured the dramatic scene, with videos showing debris falling as water poured through the damaged wall. One video posted on the Bengaluru subreddit featured a user’s comment, “Why does my city look like a Dwayne Johnson apocalypse movie?” Another user responded, “Because contractors and civil engineers in Bangalore are thieves.”
Local resident Nikhil Shivpuja described the situation as “water rushing into the hole dug up for construction” rather than a typical landslide. He expressed concern, stating, “[I] just hope the reinforcing structures are done properly so it doesn’t have catastrophic consequences.”
While no injuries or fatalities have been reported, authorities have restricted vehicular traffic around the area, preventing access to the tech park’s roads. The situation has further disrupted already-congested traffic conditions.
The IMD predicts two more days of rainfall, adding to what has already been an unusual weather pattern for Bengaluru, which recorded a 228% increase in rainfall compared to its average for a single day. Bengaluru Urban district G Jagadeesha extended the closure of schools and colleges through October 16 due to the ongoing downpour.
The Karnataka government has also advised IT-BT companies and other private businesses to implement work-from-home measures to manage the crisis.
