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The city of Bengaluru is experiencing heavy rainfall, leading to a yellow alert issued by the meteorological department. In response, the Karnataka government has declared a public holiday for all schools and recommended that IT-BT and private companies allow employees to work from home on Wednesday, October 23, 2024.
The decision to declare a public holiday for schools on October 21st faced criticism from parents, particularly as the rains had subsided by the time children had already arrived at school. D. Shashikumar, general secretary of the Associated Managements of Schools in Karnataka (KAMS), expressed concern about the frequent holidays and their potential impact on student learning. He suggested that the government should allow individual schools and deputy directors of public education to make decisions about school closures, especially as the rainfall had been localized to certain areas. He emphasized the importance of minimizing disruptions to student learning.
The Department of IT-BT and Electronics, Government of Karnataka, has advised all IT-BT and private companies to allow their employees to work from home. The advisory was issued in response to the Yellow Warning issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) – Met Centre Bengaluru, indicating potentially severe weather conditions due to heavy rainfall. The government prioritized the safety and well-being of employees in the IT, BT, and private sectors and recommended WFH arrangements for Wednesday, October 23, 2024, to ensure employee safety during the anticipated inclement weather.
The Outer Ring Road (ORR), a major artery connecting Iblur to Marathahalli and home to numerous tech parks, has experienced significant waterlogging due to the rains. Bengaluru traffic police have advised commuters to avoid the ORR between Iblur and Marathahalli and use alternative routes, as the stretch is severely congested due to the waterlogging on service roads.
The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre has predicted moderate to heavy rainfall in Bengaluru until 8:30 AM on October 23. The Yelahanka and Bommanahalli zones are expected to receive heavy rainfall (between 64.5 mm and 115.5 mm), while other areas will experience moderate rainfall. The Monday evening downpour set a new record for the highest daily rainfall at a weather station in Bengaluru, with 186.2 mm recorded at the IMD’s GKVK station in the northern part of the city. This surpasses the previous record of 178.9 mm on October 1, 1997, making it the highest daily rainfall recorded by an IMD station in the city in 27 years. The intense rainfall has caused multiple lakes, including Yelahanka, Kogilu, and Kannur, to overflow, impacting residents of North Bengaluru and disrupting normal life.