More rain likely in City today

More rain likely in City today
Bangalore, April 21, DH News Service:

Respite from the sweltering heat did come at an immense cost to the City. As temperatures dipped, the damages to properties soared.


Trees were uprooted at many places, causing damage to many vehciles and electric poles as the pre-monsoon rain with gusty winds lashed on Wednesday. And, traffic came to a standstill and power went off in some areas.

The City received 17.7 mm of rainfall, but maximum damage was due to the wind gusting to 54 kmph.

Scattered rain and thunder showers are expected to continue for next 48 hours, but the prevailing dry weather conditions will keep the maximum temperatures around 34 degrees.

The Met Department has attributed the weather conditions to the trough of low pressure from Vidharbha to South Tamil Nadu and going across South Interior Karnataka.

Nightmare

The worst-hit areas were the Western parts of the City including Vijayanagar, RPC Layout, Chandra Layout and other surrounding areas.

Bescom officials said nearly 200 electric poles were damaged in Vijayanagar alone and they were assessing the damage to the poles at RPC Layout, BCC Layout, Chandra Layout, Magadi Road and Chord Road.

A senior official said trees had fallen on poles in some areas and in others wires had been damaged and fallen on houses. The residents stayed indoor whle Bescom linemen and staff went on inspection.

“We are scared to charge the lines because we do not know where the wires have fallen or dangling or damaged. In some places, even transformers have been damaged. We will have a clear idea only by morning,” the official said. Even mobile towers were damaged in some areas. Restoring power to the area would take some time, as officials are not sure about the extent of the damage.

Seven electric poles were also damaged in Malleswaram, Poornaprajna Layout and Sulikunte on Sarjapur Road, as the trees fell on them. But no one was injured.

Waterlogged roads

Water logging was reported in parts of R T Nagar and near M S Ramaiah College. In Halasuru and Marathalli, traffic came to a standstill because of the uprooted trees and waterlogged roads.

The officials estimate that as many as 65 tree branches and more than four massive trees uprooted in West Bangalore. The BBMP commissioner, late Wednesday evening visited these areas and directed the officials to ensure all trees uprooted were cleared at the earliest. Following the damage, the Palike has been asked to take all precautionary measures.

“Directions have been given to us to ensure all necessary equipment to tackle the rain situation,” said a Palike official. The commissioner has called for a meeting on Thursday.