Rain unleashes fury in southern states; IMD forecasts fresh spells

The southern states, which are already reeling under the impact of torrential rains, may not see relief anytime soon with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and lighting in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh on September 8 and 9.

The weathermen have also forecast very heavy rainfall in Kerala, Lakshadweep, Telangana and coastal Andhra Pradesh on September 6, 7 and 9.

Torrential rains in Bengaluru on Monday brought life to a standstill with residents struggling to negotiate their way through water-logged roads and streets. Visuals showed locals of Varthur suburb using boats to commute through flood waters.

The worst affected city stretches included Bellandur, Sarjapura Road, Whitefield, Outer Ring Road and BEML Layout.

Long queues of vehicles, marking a traffic on standstill was seen on the Outer Ring Road, which connects the city with tech parks situated on its outskirts.

Also read: Arterial roads, tech corridor in Bengaluru flooded after overnight rain

In a queer sight, school students and employees of IT companies, mostly in Rainbow Drive layout, Sunny Brooks Layout and some stretches of Sarjapur Road were seen riding tractors and boats to office.

Several schools and colleges have instructed students to attend online classes in view of the weather.

Schools in Bengaluru will also remain closed for offline classes on Tuesday to allow students to attend classes from home.

After taking stock of the situation and the grievances of IT employees, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai assured them that the issue of water logging with be looked into with the help of competent authorities. He also assured that he will look into compensation and other damages caused by rain-related incidents.

In Kerala, two people including an eight-year-old child died on Sunday after being swept away by a flash flood near Mankayam waterfalls in Palode district. They were part of a group of 10 people who were visiting the spot. While eight of them clung to a rock to save their lives, the two were washed away by the torrential waters of the flood.

The IMD has issued a red warning for four districts – Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Idukki districts for September 6 and an orange warning for Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts.

An orange warning has also been issued for Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur districts on September 7, just ahead of the festival of Onam.

Tamil Nadu also recorded isolated incidents of downpour on Sunday night. On Monday, transport services were cancelled in the Nilgiri district after the hill district reported landslides in the Mettupalayam-Udhagamandalam area.

Train operations between Mettupalayam and Coonoor were also stalled after boulders, which had rolled down under the impact of rains, blocked the tracks.