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CatastropheIndia

Bengaluru: Tractors deployed in India's flooded tech capital

September 6, 2022

Images of residents being evacuated or traveling to work on tractors in India's so-called Silicon Valley during a heavy monsoon season showed high- and low-tech colliding.

https://p.dw.com/p/4GUPA
People commute in tractors due to water-logged roads following torrential rains in Bengaluru, India September 6, 2022.
Heavy rains have prompted renewed debate over the need to overhaul Bengaluru city infrastructureImage: ANI/REUTERS

Large parts of India's Bengaluru city remained under water Tuesday after torrential rains over the last two days disrupted life in the city.

Bengaluru, often dubbed India's tech capital, recorded one of its wettest Septembers this year, with fire and rescue services dispatching boats and tractors to evacuate affected homes.

Social media footage of affluent housing and tech parks under water went viral on Tuesday, as residents like Gaurav Munjal, the CEO of a popular online learning platform, wrote on Twitter that he was evacuated along with his dog on a tractor that morning.

Several employees of various tech companies said they still had to go to work regardless of the waterlogging and used tractors as a means of transportation as well.

"We cannot take so many leaves from the office, our work is getting affected. We are awaiting tractors to drop us for 50 rupees ($0.63)," an employee at a tech firm told the ANI news outlet.

Basavaraj Bommai, the chief minister of the southern state of Karnataka where Bengaluru is situated, said on Tuesday that the picture being painted of an entire city facing "a grim situation" was not true, saying only parts of the city were facing challenges.

He said the "entire government machinery is in full swing" to bring the city back to normal, according to local media reports.

Firefighters help evacuate residents from a flooded area after heavy rainfall in Bangalore, India, Monday, Sept. 5, 2022.
Firefighters rescue people in rafts after torrential rains flooded the cityImage: Kashif Masood/AP/picture alliance

Waterlogging creates travel chaos 

Waterlogging from torrential rains on Sunday and Monday submerged low-lying areas, including basements of residential homes and shops.

The rains set off long traffic snarls and widespread power cuts, as well as affected flight operations at Bengaluru airport, local media reported.

Low-lying lakes in the city also overflowed, inundating floors of residential homes.

Bengaluru is home to many of India's tech startups as well as big companies like Amazon, Flipkart and Wipro.

Bengaluru's rainfall

Bengaluru recorded its wettest September in eight years Monday night after it recorded 131.6 millimeters (5.2 inches) of rain.

Karnataka saw 34% more rainfall in the past three months than it usually receives this time of the year, according to the Indian Meteorological Department.

While there is no direct connection between torrential rains in Bengaluru and climate change, there is growing evidence that monsoon rains, the lifeblood of India's agricultural-driven economy, are being altered because of climate change.

The Indian Meteorological Department issued continued heavy rain warnings for Bengaluru and coastal Karnataka in the coming days, including a red rainfall warning for Wednesday.

rm/msh (Reuters, AFP)