Bengaluru rains: Schools shut, WFH advised for private cos amid ‘yellow’ alert | 10 updates

In view of IMD's ‘yellow’ alert for heavy rains in the city, Bengaluru Urban district administration has declared holiday for schools and Anganwadi centres for Wednesday, October 23 as a “precautionary measure and in the interest of students”.

Reportedly, private companies have also been advised to allow their employees to work from home for the day. The advisory, the Karnataka government said, is for the safety of all those working in the IT (Information Technology), BT (Biotech) and private companies.

However, the colleges and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in the area will remain open.

Check top updates on Bengaluru rain:

• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘yellow’ alert for heavy rainfall in Bengaluru for Wednesday.
• The city had already been reeling under incessant rains for the past four days. Widespread flooding was reported from several residential areas in the city as heavy rains turned roads into virtual rivers.
• On Tuesday, the overnight downpour surpassed records for the highest rain in 24 hours in the past couple of decades.

• At least five people were killed in separate rain-related incidents in Bengaluru; While three labourers died in a building collapse after the downpour, two children drowned in Kengeri Lake and were trapped in the marsh.
• Fifteen people were rescued from the building collapse site while three people are still missing.
• Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban Jagadish G declared a school holiday on Wednesday. However, he said in a statement, that all the colleges and ITIs in the city will function as usual, with a general instruction of not using dilapidated and weak buildings to avoid accidents.

• Jagadish asked parents and college management to ensure that students do not go to low lying areas filled with water, while also asking the college authorities to provide information to the students about dealing with natural calamities.
• Local authorities said that 241 mm of rainfall was recorded in the past week, more than double the normal for the period.
• Five teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were deployed to evacuate people from the flooded areas, including from Yelahanka, one of the worst-affected districts, with the help of coracles on Tuesday.

• Addressing reporters, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, said: “We cannot stop nature but we are there. I am also gathering information from the entire team.”
• He said the south, west and Mahadevapura zones faced more problems. "The embankment of a lake gave way in Dasarahalli. Areas under Mahadevapura zone five layouts –Basava Samithi Layout, Tata Nagar, Bhadrappa Layout, Vayunandana Layout, Anjaneya Layout, Chitrakoot Apartment, Ramanashree California, Surabhi Layout, Someshwara Layout, Kanaka Nagar were inundated."

(With agency inputs)