Good morning, Bengaluru!
🌧️ Today’s weather: High: 25 ℃ | Low: 21 ℃ | Generally cloudy sky with heavy rain.
🧐 Did you know? There are nearly 67,000 registered IT companies in the city.
🚜 Tractors to the rescue
Bengaluru faced severe disruptions as heavy rains triggered widespread flooding and waterlogging across the city.
What’s it about? In the 24 hours leading up to 8:30 am on Wednesday, the city recorded 66.1 mm of rainfall, which led to chaos on the roads, with vehicles stranded and residents in low-lying areas struggling to navigate the floodwaters.
- The northern part of Bengaluru, particularly Yelahanka, was severely impacted.
- Residents of Kendriya Vihar Apartments had to be rescued by disaster response teams using tractor trolleys due to extreme flooding in the area.
Relief for students, employees: Schools across Bengaluru Urban district were declared closed, and many companies, especially in the IT and biotechnology sectors, allowed their employees to work from home due to the severe weather conditions.
💣 Akasa Air gets bomb threat
An Akasa Air flight (QP1335) bound for Bengaluru with over 180 people on board returned to Delhi on Wednesday afternoon following a bomb threat.
What’s it about? The flight, carrying 174 passengers, 3 infants, and 7 crew members, landed safely at Indira Gandhi International Airport at 1:48 PM. Emergency procedures were followed, and the aircraft was placed in an isolation bay as security checks were conducted.
- All passengers were safely deplaned by 1:57 PM.
- The Delhi Police confirmed receiving a security alert and stated that all necessary safety protocols were executed.
Concerning trend: This incident follows a pattern, with nearly a dozen domestic flights receiving bomb threats in the past two days, none of which have revealed any suspicious items.
💦 Pipe dream
Despite Bengaluru’s growing wealth, clean water remains elusive for around 15 lakh residents in the city’s 597 slums, 435 of which are officially recognised.
What’s it about? The Karnataka government is set to launch a costly new project to bring 775 million litres of water per day from the Cauvery River, but it is unlikely to benefit slum residents. Many slums, especially those in neglected areas, rely on borewell water, which is often insufficient and of poor quality, with frequent contamination from sewage.
- Water supply is irregular in several areas, with some households receiving water only for two hours after 10 pm, forcing women, who are often daily wage workers, to stay up late and wake early for work.
- Although the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has a “pro-poor” policy that provides free borewell water and up to 10,000 litres of Cauvery water per household, the service remains inadequate.
Funding crunch: Rising costs of food, LPG, and essentials have left many slum dwellers unable to afford water bills. Efforts by the Karnataka Slum Development Board (KSDB) to recognise slums and facilitate water access are ongoing, but insufficient funds limit the impact.
🚇 Metro disrupted
Purple Line services were partially disrupted on Wednesday morning after a tree fell on the tracks near Swami Vivekananda Road station, following heavy rain the previous day.
What’s it about? Services between Baiyappanahalli and SV Road stations were halted, with trains running only between Indiranagar-Challaghatta and Baiyappanahalli-Whitefield.
- The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) quickly deployed a maintenance team to clear the obstruction.
- Feeder buses were arranged to assist commuters between MG Road and Baiyappanahalli.
Quick action: Namma Metro announced the disruption at 6:15 am, apologising for the inconvenience and confirming that the tree removal was underway. By 8:05 am, the obstruction had been cleared, and full service on the Purple Line was restored.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Have you travelled in a tractor’s trolley?
- I have travelled in a tractor’s trolley.
- I have not travelled in a tractor’s trolley.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s your scariest flight experience?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- The first day of the India vs. New Zealand Test match was called off due to rain without a single ball being bowled.
- The Phoenix Mall of Asia was submerged in water after massive thunderstorms.
- 244 caretakers have registered with the BBMP to participate in an initiative to feed stray dogs.
- The northern parts of the city registered significant temperature drops due to the rains.
- SurveyMonkey has set up an office in the city to boost its global expansion strategy.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I have seen a match at the M Chinnaswamy stadium: 40.0%
- I have not seen a match at the M Chinnaswamy stadium: 60.0% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
How do you spend your time to and from the airport?
Simon: “Sleeping or reading something on my kindle/phone.”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!