Heavy rain floods Bengaluru airport; flyers take tractor rides to catch their flights

Bengaluru is headed for the wettest October in at least over the past two decades. From 1 to 9 October Bengaluru Urban district recorded 78mm rain as against the normal 61mm, an excess of 28 percent, according to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC). With more rain expected over the next two weeks, the city may break all previous records, experts say.

But the heavy downpour not only brought the city to a standstill but also exposed the lack of preparedness and planning of the civic agencies once again. The road to the Kempegowda International Airport (Bengaluru airport) was water-logged making it difficult for the passengers to reach the airport.

In clips shared by passengers on Twitter, it can be seen that they are forced to take tractor ride to airport to catch their flights.

Heavy rain batters north Bengaluru. Airport road flooded. Arrival and departure areas are also flooded. Passengers take a tractor ride to catch the flight! A real hell. #BengaluruRains pic.twitter.com/Nmt4HQkfof

— DP SATISH (@dp_satish) October 11, 2021

#WATCH | Karnataka: Heavy rainfall in Bengaluru causes waterlogging outside Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru. Passengers were seen being ferried on a tractor outside the airport.

Visuals from last night. pic.twitter.com/ylHL6KrZof

— ANI (@ANI) October 12, 2021

In August, the domestic terminal of the airport was flooded with rainwater due to its leaking roof, after the city was lashed with torrential downpour.

@HardeepSPuri - this is bangalore airport -domestic terminal where it is raining inside the terminal.. seriously we need deserve better pic.twitter.com/4RPmowXTxG

— Anurag Gupta (@gupt_anurag) August 29, 2019

The India Meteorological Department has predicted isolated heavy rains over coastal and southern interior Karnataka till 15 October.

Inputs from agencies