Bengaluru rains cause disruptions, a few housing projects, malls and office complexes affected by flooding

Simultaneously, office goers took to social media to share visuals of flooding at several office spaces, including Manyata Tech Park on the Outer Ring Road, as others shared images of waterlogged parking space and entrance of Yelahanka’s Phoenix Mall of Asia.

The video features a property adjacent to Manyata Tech Park, developer Embassy REIT said. “Through the development of a new culvert, a critical flood mitigation measure to manage the water flow, along with annual desilting and raising the nallah embankment, strategic positioning of external stormwater sumps, and the deployment of high-capacity dewatering systems that cleared road floodwaters within 2-4 hours, our on-ground teams ensured business continuity,” Embassy REIT said in a statement.

The 300-acre Manyata Tech Park is a major IT hub in North Bengaluru, wherein the average commercial rent presently ranges between ₹93-97 per square feet, according to data shared by property consultancy Vestian. The metric has increased 7-8% year-on-year. Meanwhile, the average property price in the business park stands at ₹14,000 – 15,000 per square feet presently.

Similarly, opened in 2023, the Phoenix Mall of Asia is one of the newest and largest malls in Yelahanka currently. Built in an area encompassing 1.25 million square meters, the retail development boasts over 300 domestic and international brands as tenants.

Also Read: Bengaluru’s Manyata Tech Park flooded amid incessant rain, techies advised to leave office early. Video

In another example, a resident of Nagawara, who goes by the name Varna Prakash, wrote on Instagram: “My house became a lake.” She, however, told HT.com that the waterlogging cleared within an hour.

Prakash, who has grown up in HBR Layout, lives in a 3BHK unit which commands a monthly rent of ₹30,000. “We have witnessed water logging issues only when there are continuous rains because the next area is all built on a lake bed, and because of metro construction and poor drainage systems the water overflows,” she said.

Residents of North and East Bengaluru were hit hardest on Tuesday as 65 mm rains battered the city. According to government data, Yelahanka, western and eastern zones in the city received maximum rainfall while Mahadevpur, RR Nagar, Bommanahalli, Dasarahalli saw moderate rainfall.

Impact of flooding on real estate markets in Bengaluru

It must be noted that North and East Bengaluru are amongst the most active property markets in the city presently. Experts and local brokers cited that despite the difficulties arising from periodic episodes of flooding amid heavy downpour, the real estate market of the city hasn’t taken a hit owing to sheer demand.

Furthermore, some of these areas such as Sarjapur Road, Marathahalli, Whitefield and so on, witness high demand due to the significant presence of offices. In a tradeoff between long commute to work battling heavy traffic versus occasional difficulties amid heavy rains, professionals often prioritise time and convenience, even at the cost of higher rents and property prices.

Also read: Bengaluru’s rains, traffic and water shortage add to blues; here’s how infrastructure challenges impact property prices

The IT corridor along the Outer Ring Road East was amongst the worst hit areas during the 2022 floods. However, demand for residential property has historically surpassed supply in this belt. Furthermore, with a metro line under construction, public transport connectivity is presently limited in this region, said experts. In fact, traffic congestion during peak hours along the ORR often makes it to local news headlines.

The demand-supply dynamic in this belt has kept property prices on a growing trajectory, experts added.

What are public authorities doing ?

BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath on October 16 visited Ramanashree California Gardens Layout and Kendriya Vihar Apartments in the Yelahanka zone to take stock of the situation.

“Diversion channel has been done earlier to prevent water coming into the layout and the water level has been adequately prevented,” BBMP said, adding that standing water is being pumped out at Ramanashree California Gardens.

Updating on the measures being taken in Kendriya Vihar Apartments, where water is standing at about 3 feet, the BBMP said: “A raw drain is being made through Itachi in the private land next to the existing canal, and after finishing the work, the water is being made to flow through the raw drain.”

The water is being pumped out by two fire fighting vehicles and two tractors have been arranged for residents to come and go from the apartment, BBMP added.

Also Read: Bengaluru’s Phoenix Mall of Asia gets waterlogged after heavy rain in Yelahanka. Watch

Earlier this month, the apartment project, which houses 603 units, was flooded when a 50-foot compound wall collapsed. A BBMP press release explained that the flooding occurred because the Yelahanka lake, which feeds into 10 other lakes, overflowed.

“The situation has gotten worse, there’s no water and power supply. After yesterday’s heavy downpour, I’ve shifted to a hotel this morning because my parents are senior citizens,” said Sunil Kumar Hebbi, a resident of Kendriya Vihar Apartments.

A 2 BHK unit in the project costs about ₹45 lakh while monthly rentals are around ₹25,000.