Bengaluru, the IT capital of India, found itself submerged once again after heavy pre-monsoon showers battered the city earlier this week. Though the official monsoon season is yet to arrive on the western coast, the early rains have already caused severe disruption across the city. For many residents, the situation felt all too familiar — flooded streets, closed roads, stranded commuters, and waterlogged homes.

In a scene that has become increasingly common during every rain spell, boats and tractors had to be pressed into rescue operations in low-lying localities such as Sri Sai Layout in Horamavu and S T Bed Layout near Koramangala. Visuals of boats navigating city lanes and people being evacuated from their homes have once again sparked public anger and civic concern.

The Hosur Road, one of the city’s major arterial routes connecting the IT corridor, had to be shut down due to severe waterlogging, causing massive traffic diversions and commute delays. Several underpasses across Bengaluru were also closed as they filled up with rainwater, trapping vehicles and making them impassable.

This pattern of flooding is not new. Experts and civic activists point to a deep-rooted failure in urban planning, drainage infrastructure, and unchecked real estate expansion as the primary culprits behind the recurring disaster. Despite being a global tech hub, Bengaluru has repeatedly shown itself to be incapable of handling moderate to heavy rainfall.

One of the worst-hit areas, Horamavu, located in the northeastern part of the city, saw entire basements and ground floors submerged. Residents in S T Bed Layout, located close to the bustling Koramangala area, had to call emergency services as water entered their houses during the early hours of the morning.

Bengaluru’s problems stem from decades of encroachment on stormwater drains, lakes, and wetlands. In the rush to build housing complexes, office parks, and commercial zones, critical ecological buffers have been lost. What remains is a fragile and outdated network of drains that are either clogged or too narrow to handle sudden surges of water.

According to urban experts, the city receives an average of 970 mm of rainfall annually, which should be manageable. However, the uneven distribution of rainfall, compounded by impervious urban surfaces and non-functional storm drains, leads to immediate flooding even with short bursts of rain.

On the administrative side, BBMP and BWSSB, the civic and water supply bodies, have been consistently criticised for their lack of coordination and slow response. In Horamavu and ST Bed Layout, residents said they had filed complaints about drainage issues for years, but no permanent fixes were made.

During this week’s flooding, the city’s helpline numbers were overwhelmed, and many citizens were forced to rely on social media to coordinate rescues and request pumping equipment. Citizen groups and volunteers played a key role in distributing food and providing shelter to stranded families.

Urban researchers at IISC Bengaluru recently published a report warning that flooding incidents will only intensify as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of rainfall events. The report called for an immediate overhaul of the drainage infrastructure, including scientific de-silting, lake rejuvenation, and implementation of sponge city models that allow water to percolate naturally.

The state government has announced that a review meeting will be held later this week, led by the Chief Minister and officials from the Urban Development Department, to assess flood preparedness measures. However, critics argue that these meetings are held every year with little to show in terms of long-term solutions.

In a city known globally for its tech innovation, residents find it increasingly ironic that they have to navigate boats and tractors every time it rains. The inability to adapt infrastructure to natural weather patterns is eroding public confidence and creating massive economic and social costs.

For now, the IMD has forecast more rains in the coming days, and emergency teams remain on alert. Schools in flood-prone zones have been asked to shift to online classes temporarily, and IT firms have allowed remote work for employees affected by the floods.

Unless Bengaluru’s civic bodies, in coordination with state agencies, take urgent and scientific steps to redesign the city’s stormwater infrastructure, episodes like this week’s flood will no longer be a seasonal surprise — they will become the status quo.

The Upcoming IPOs in this week and coming weeks are Neptune Petrochemicals, Aegis Vopak Terminals, Schloss Bangalore, Astonea Labs, Nikita Papers, Prostarm Info Systems, Victory Electric Vehicles International, Blue Water Logistics, Wagons Learning.

The Current active IPO are Unified Data - Tech Solutions, Dar Credit and Capital, Belrise Industries.

The Closed IPOs are Borana Weaves.