Whitefield Metro station leaks after moderate rain

BENGALURU: Inaugurated only two months ago, the terminal Metro station of the extended KR Puram-Whitefield Purple Line at Kadugodi was leaking through the roof on Sunday evening after half an hour’s worth of moderate rainfall in the area.
While many citizens took to social media to assess the risks of walking on wet station floors and stairs, Metro authorities maintained that there was no safety concern with dampening of the infrastructure.
As per Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) data, the easternmost part of Mahadevapura received the bulk of Sunday’s rain, with Kadugodi recording 27.5mm of rainfall, Varthur 6.5mm, and Hagadur 6mm. With 27mm of rainfall, Metro users saw the terminal flooded and expressed shock at the situation since it was inaugurated only at the end of March.
10-minute damage
A volunteer with Whitefield Rising, a residents’ welfare body, had boarded the Metro at Nallurahalli station around 5.35pm to reach Kadugodi station, 5-6km away.
“As soon as I got in at the station in Nallurahalli, it began to pour outside. When I reached Kadugodi after 10 minutes, there was rain falling through the roof and the platform was layered with water,” the volunteer told TOI.
It’s said passengers had to walk on a wet platform and a slippery staircase. “It is the scariest thing when it is raining. A fall there can be disastrous,” said another Whitefield resident, who did not wish to be named.
“If this is the situation now, we wonder what will happen during monsoon season,” other passengers said.
As per KSNDMC thresholds, rainfall between 15.6mm and 64.4mm is regarded as ‘moderate’ and that above 64.5mm to 115.5mm is considered very heavy.