A resident of Rainbow Drive Layout highlighted that whenever Halanayakanahalli and Doddakanahalli lakes get full, it result in flooding.
Published May 18, 2025 | 1:52 PM ⚊ Updated May 18, 2025 | 1:52 PM
Flooding in Rainbow Drive Layout. (BBMP)
Synopsis: Rainbow Drive Layout has been flooding whenever heavy rains lash Bengaluru, submerging in five to six feet of water. While residents struggle with persistent flooding, the authorities concerned have not taken any concrete steps to address the issue.
Since 2022, Rainbow Drive Layout off Sarjapur Road has made headlines whenever heavy rains lash Bengaluru. For the last four monsoons, the layout has been flooded, submerging in five to six feet of water.
The worst flooding was in 2022, when people had to ferry in boats and tractors, and had to take all their belongings, family, and pets and shift to safer places. Cut to 2025, neither the government nor the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has come up with a solution to this problem.
While residents struggle with persistent flooding, the authorities concerned have not taken any concrete steps to address the issue.
In 2023, the Bengaluru East tahsildar issued notices to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), now Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), which prepared for the demolition of 13 villas. According to the officials, these villas had encroached upon a drain.
However, when the residents of the area approached the High Court of Karnataka, challenging the demolition exercise, it directed BBMP officials not to demolish the residences or villas but to acquire land for building a stormwater drain (SWD) to avoid flooding.
GBA Mahadevapura Zone Joint Commissioner Dr Dakshayini told South First that she has no knowledge about the land acquisition.
“So far, we don’t know if the land was acquired or will be acquired to build the SWD in future. As a temporary solution, we have made sure to remove the silt and debris from the existing stormwater drain close to the Rainbow Drive Layout so that there would be no flooding and rainwater flows easily in the coming days.”
Somashekar L, a resident of Rainbow Drive Layout, highlighted that whenever Halanayakanahalli and Doddakanahalli lakes, close to the layout, get full, they overflow, resulting in flooding of the layout.
“I have been living here for over two decades now. Earlier, there were fields where farmers cultivated crops. Whenever the lake was full during rains, water would flow into these fields. Hence, Rainbow Drive Layout never used to flood,” he told South First.
“Now, the demography has changed. A lot of farmers sold their land to real estate developers and constructors. This led them to build apartments and huge buildings. Subsequently, various layouts were formed close to this lake. The lake measures over 100 acre. Though layouts were formed, there were no plans regarding where the drains had to be built to divert the water from the river and so on,” he added.
Somashekar noted that the lake used to be full only after ten days of continuous rain. “Now, it is full within two days of rain in the city. Only a very few farmers are left here, and when the lake overflows, it floods their land also,” he noted.
He also urged that the GBA must desilt the lake so that flooding similar to 2022 and 2023 doesn’t repeat.
“Desilting must be done to avoid flooding of Rainbow Drive Layout and other surrounding areas. There is a stormwater drain close to Sarjapur Road, which is 10 metre wide. Whenever it rains heavily, the water flows into this drain. Since water freely flows from high level to low level and Rainbow Drive is in a low-lying region, water flows from the road, lake, and drains into the layout,” he noted.
Austin Roach, a person involved in the construction of Rainbow Drive 30 years ago, told South First that there was no problem of flooding when it was built.
“It started only five years ago, when the demography of Sarjapura changed. It resulted in Rainbow Drive Layout falling in a low-lying region. A stormwater drain exists there, but it is only ten metres wide. Whenever it overflows, the entire layout gets flooded. For now, there is no problem; whenever it pours, water gets stagnated on the road for an hour or so.”
Pinky, President of the Rainbow Drive Layout Association, said, “What did the government or GBA do when it flooded two days ago in Manyata Tech Park? They did nothing to resolve the flooding there; it is the same here.”
“Halanayakanahalli Lake is close to Rainbow Drive Layout. During rains, whenever it overflows, the water floods our area, causing trouble to the families living here. Everything was fine some years ago; this issue has come up only recently. However, this year, it has not flooded,” she told South First.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
