Every time it rains in Bengaluru, this key road turns into a cesspool | Bengaluru News
Bengaluru: Rain brings welcome relief from the summer heat in most parts of the city, but for those living or commuting along Vibgyor Road, it usually marks yet another bout of disruption, danger, and frustration.Stretching from Old Airport Road near Kundalahalli to Balagere and linking to Outer Ring Road, Vibgyor Road is a key eastern corridor. Yet, the stretch that should ease commute turns into a waterlogged trap every time it rains, even briefly.After a short spell of rain Wednesday evening, the road was left cratered, soaked, and filled with stagnant, dirty water that lingered well into the following day. According to residents, this has been an issue for years. “It’s a nightmare every time it rains. The road vanishes under water and we wade through slush the next morning,” said a commuter, pointing to the shin-deep water pooled in potholes and the mess of vehicles stuck in bottlenecks.Locals blame it on poor drainage planning. Only one side of the road has a functional drain — and it is often clogged, leaving water with nowhere to go. Combined with broken road surfaces and heavy traffic, this creates a dangerous trap for two-wheeler riders, many of whom have already suffered injuries this season.Athul Jain, a regular commuter, called the stretch a “sewage swamp” whenever it rains. “Two-wheeler riders, especially women, are falling. A worker was badly hurt recently. This road is dangerous, and no one is fixing it.”Others like Anand SK, commuting from Balagere, said the problem isn’t new. “It has been like this for a year. I posted a flooding video in Jan; MP PC Mohan tweeted about it, but nothing changed. That 1.5km stretch from T Cross to Kundalahalli can take over an hour by car,” he said.BBMP acknowledged the road has only one functioning drain, with the other side falling under BWSSB. An engineer said desilting is in progress, but there have been delays because of contractor payments. “After BWSSB’s pipework, potholes worsened. Once the desilting is done, we’ll asphalt the road — maybe in a month,” he said.But with monsoon nearing and no visible progress, residents fear another season of flooding, skidding bikes, and ankle-deep slush.
