Bengaluru: Parts of India’s ‘Silicon Valley’ Flooded After Heavy Rains

Parts of the southern Indian city of Bengaluru, often referred to as India’s Silicon Valley, are under water following heavy rainfall. The city, a major hub for technology companies, is currently under high alert for more pre-monsoon showers due to cyclonic formations over the Andaman Sea, according to local authorities.

Three people, including a 12-year-old boy, were killed in rain-related incidents on Monday. The city received 100 mm (4 inches) of rain on Monday, a record since 2011, according to weather officials. CS Patil, a director at the regional weather department, described the rainfall as ‘rare’ for Bengaluru.

Heavy rains have caused severe water-logging, disrupted daily life, and led to property damage. In one of the city’s major IT corridors, the compound wall of a software firm, i-Zed, collapsed on Monday morning, killing a 35-year-old female employee. Videos showed commuters wading through knee-deep water, with several cars parked on waterlogged streets. Water has also entered houses in some parts of the city.

Authorities have identified 210 flood-prone areas and are working around the clock to address the situation. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar stated, ‘There is no need for the people of Bengaluru to be worried.’ However, officials are facing criticism on social media, with many complaining about the city’s crumbling infrastructure and deluged roads.

‘No other city invokes a sense of fear and helplessness for commuting during rains as Bangalore does,’ a user wrote on X. Annu Itty, who has lived in the city for eight years, told the BBC that the city’s infrastructure becomes especially fragile in the monsoons. ‘Ironically, it’s the newly developed areas – those built to house the booming tech sector – that face the worst flooding,’ she said.

Itty, who works in public policy, said a ‘lack of coherent urban planning that respects environmental limits,’ as well as a lack of government accountability, has left Bengaluru residents to deal with the consequences.

Karnataka, of which Bengaluru is the capital, is currently run by the Congress party. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which sits in the opposition in the state, has accused the local government of failing to tackle rain-related issues in the city and the state, despite spending millions on its infrastructure. The BJP has demanded the immediate release of 10 billion rupees ($117 million, £87.5 million) for relief operations.

The state government has defended itself, stating that these issues have been longstanding. ‘The issues we face today are not new. They have been ignored for years, across governments and administrations,’ Shivakumar said.

Floods have been a recurring phenomenon in Bengaluru in recent years. Experts partly blame rapid construction over the city’s lakes and wetlands and poor urban planning for the crisis. Ananda Rao, president of the Association for Information Technology (AIT), which represents over 450 software companies, told the BBC that such frequent flooding has caused ‘discomfort and inconvenience’ for businesses.

‘Bengaluru contributes significantly in taxes – both at an individual level and property tax. There is no return on this investment,’ he said, calling on the state government to work on long-term solutions to improve the city’s infrastructure.