Bengaluru Floods: Bookworm Loses 5,000 Books to Rain

Torrential rains recently lashed Bengaluru, leading to significant damage and disruption across the city. The beloved Church Street bookshop, Bookworm, reported a devastating loss of approximately 5,000 books due to rapid rainwater ingress, estimated at a financial loss of Rs 14 lakh. The proprietor lamented the immeasurable loss of knowledge and effort contained within the ruined volumes.

Public transportation networks were severely impacted, with waterlogging reported at key transit points like the Jayadeva Hospital and Silk Board Metro stations. This caused traffic congestion and made roads partly non-motorable. A fallen tree at KSR railway station also caused damage to parked vehicles.

Connectivity was a major issue as uprooted trees brought down overhead cables, disrupting internet services for offices and homes during peak working hours. The situation was compounded by widespread power outages. Even the seat of government, Vidhana Soudha, experienced waterlogging, with rainwater entering ministerial offices and those of opposition leaders.

Across the city, civic authorities received over 500 calls related to fallen trees and branches, with 170 trees and 408 branches reported down by Wednesday evening. The central zone saw the highest impact. Sadly, a tree fall in Kaval Byrasandra resulted in a woman sustaining a head injury and requiring hospitalization. Traffic on Magadi Road was briefly disrupted by a fallen cutout of late actor Vishnuvardhan.