Bengaluru: From Saturday till Tuesday, BBMP received 18,000 distress calls and 1,018 rain-related complaints from citizens, especially from the badly battered East and South zones.Of the complaints, 526 pertained to water stagnation, 212 to drain blockage, and 280 to treefall incidents.Data accessed by TOI revealed that East zone alone reported 242 complaints, with 150 related to flooding, 42 on treefalls, 32 on flooded roadside drains, and 18 on fallen tree branches. Nagwara, Jayamahal, Ulsoor, Benniganahalli, Ejipura, and Shantinagar were among the worst-hit areas.Second in line was South zone with 229 complaints, including 116 on flooding and 42 on roadside drains, 55 on treefalls. Bapujinagar, Chamarajpet, Jayanagar, Basavanagudi, and Adugodi were among the badly affected areas.Mahadevapura reported 100 complaints of water stagnation, while West zone saw 27 on treefalls.Residents said they were unable to get through to BBMP helplines at critical moments. In several instances, citizens posted videos on social media of flooded streets and fallen trees, tagging civic authorities in desperation. “We tried calling for help as the water began entering our compound, but nobody picked up,” said Asha Ramesh, a resident of Domlur. “By the time BBMP came the next morning, our garage was already underwater.” In RR Nagar, which reported 32 tree falls, several roads were blocked overnight, delaying morning traffic and emergency services.BBMP officials admitted that legacy issues such as encroached drains and inadequate desilting worsened the impact of the rains. “We are trying to respond to complaints zone-wise, but the numbers have exceeded our initial estimates,” said a senior BBMP engineer.