Bengaluru flooding damaged vehicles and critical infrastructure at the Provident Harmony residential complex near Sampigehalli after a 150-metre compound wall collapsed under the pressure of stagnant stormwater following overnight rainfall on Wednesday, residents and a civic official said.
The complex, spread across 7.14 acres, has 15 nine-storey towers and 548 residential units. Floodwater submerged the children’s play area, sewage treatment plant and borewells, while several cars parked within the premises were damaged. Residents said the total losses, including damage to essential infrastructure, could run into crores of rupees.
Residents told The Indian Express that a large volume of rainwater flowed from Sampigehalli Road towards Provident Harmony and neighbouring properties during the heavy rain. The water eventually entered the complex with considerable force, described by residents as cascading “like a waterfall”.
According to resident Swapnil Bansal, a stormwater drain passes through the complex and is intended to carry water towards Sampigehalli lake. Residents said a private parcel of land behind the complex was obstructing the drain’s path, preventing the water from flowing out. The resulting accumulation increased pressure on the boundary wall before it gave way.
A source cited by the newspaper alleged that debris and mud from a downsized stone quarry next to the complex had been disposed of in the stormwater drain. The source said the drain’s route towards the lake had been filled with mud and that there was no effective provision for the water inside Provident Harmony to reach the lake. These allegations were presented as residents’ account of the obstruction and were not independently established in the report.
Mithun Madhavan, an engineer and resident, said the incident was not only an apartment-level flooding problem but indicated a wider stormwater-drainage connectivity issue. Residents warned that the complex and nearby properties could remain vulnerable during subsequent heavy rainfall unless the obstruction on the route to Sampigehalli lake is identified and cleared.
Executive Engineer Sachin H P said the apartment complex is located about 30 metres from the buffer zone and that there was no continuity in the drain, which contributed to the incident. Surveyors visited the site on Thursday morning, and the engineer said officials would divert the drain.
The incident occurred as Bengaluru authorities prepared for more rain. Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said at a virtual meeting with the Greater Bengaluru Authority chief commissioner, commissioners of all five municipal corporations and other officials that heavy rainfall was possible in the western, northern, eastern and central parts of the city over the next two to three days.
The minister said engineers across the Greater Bengaluru Authority jurisdiction and the Fire and Emergency Services should remain prepared. He also asked officials to remain vigilant and take precautionary measures in response to an alert issued by the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority.