Bengaluru schools shut tomorrow amid heavy rain, work from home advised for offices

Schools and anganwadi centres in Bengaluru will remain shut on Wednesday amid heavy rain forecast. Besides, private companies have been advised to ask employees to work from home.

In Short

• Waterlogging, massive traffic in Bengaluru due to heavy rain.
• Orange alert declared in city, schools shut tomorrow.
• Schools asked to conduct online classes for senior students.

Continuous rain affected daily life in Bengaluru on Tuesday as several areas witnessed water-logging and traffic congestion. The weather department has issued an orange alert, following which the schools have been ordered shut for tomorrow and companies have been advised to allow their employees to work from home.

The India Meteorological Department put Bengaluru on orange alert as a precautionary message due to the increase in intensity of rains. Bengaluru has witnessed incessant showers since early Tuesday morning, causing waterlogging and traffic jams at multiple locations in the city.

Several areas in Varthur, Hebbal, Kadubeesanahalli witnessed traffic congestion due to heavy downpour. Areas housing major tech companies like Manyata Tech Park on Outer Ring Road (ORR) and tech hubs like Sarjapur were also affected.

Hebbal flyover towards KR Puram was also closed for traffic for some time before the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) informed that water logging was cleared. Water-logging was also cleared at Allasandra Main road near BBMP swimming pool in Yelahanka zone

The government also stated that while schools and anganwadi centres in Bengaluru district have been shut, colleges will remain open. However, principals of most of these degree, post-graduation, diploma colleges and ITIs have been given a set of guidelines to follow to ensure students' safety.

Most schools have been asked to conduct online classes for higher grades. Meanwhile, lower grade students have been given assignments to be completed at home.

In the wake of rains across Bengaluru, the BBMP has set up 24X7 exclusive control rooms in its eight zones and also launched a helpline number (1533) to report rain-related problems.

Heavy rain also resulted in the uprooting of trees. The Ashoka Pillar road was temporarily closed as a tree fell, blocking the road.

According to India Meteorological Department, a low pressure area that formed over the Bay of Bengal was the trigger for the widespread rainfall.

IMD has issued a yellow alert -- indicating worsening weather conditions that could disrupt daily life -- for the districts of Tumakuru, Mysuru, Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Kolar, Shivamogga and Chikkaballapura in addition to coastal Karnataka.