A deluge crippled Mangaluru as relentless rains flooded roads, homes, and railway stations. Emergency crews evacuated families as submerged vehicles and overflowing drains brought the city to a halt.

Mangaluru Drenched: Torrential Rains Cripple City, 12 Families Evacuated

Mangaluru, June 15, 2025 — A relentless cloudburst pounded Mangaluru on Saturday evening, transforming the bustling coastal city into a waterlogged maze. Roads disappeared beneath rising floodwaters, vehicles were marooned mid-traffic, and residents waded through waist-deep water as the city struggled to stay afloat.

What began as a steady downpour around 4 p.m. escalated into a full-blown urban flood disaster, particularly hammering the Pumpwell (Mahaveer) Circle — a key junction that turned into an impassable lake within hours. Buses were halted, and entire stretches of the national highway near Adyar Kannur were rendered unusable. Civic life froze as arterial roads across the city vanished under gushing stormwater.

A City Underwater

The catastrophe unfolded swiftly. Within a span of less than three hours, over 120mm of rain battered various parts of the city. Neermarga reported 121mm, while Bantwal taluk’s Pudu village and Meramajalu clocked in at 118mm and 105mm respectively. This deluge overwhelmed Mangaluru’s outdated drainage and stormwater systems.

Service roads beneath the NH flyover at Pumpwell vanished underwater. Commuters stranded in autorickshaws and cars had to be assisted across flooded lanes by bystanders. The chaos wasn't confined to vehicles. The downpour flooded railway infrastructure too — water seeped into platforms at Mangaluru Central Station and inundated the autorickshaw stand, delaying trains and stranding passengers.

Critical Failures in Urban Planning

At the heart of the disaster was the city’s fragile stormwater and drainage network. Rajakaluves — the traditional stormwater canals — overflowed or collapsed in multiple locations. In Attavar, a retaining wall gave way, sending a torrent of rainwater into residential areas. Elderly citizens, children, and shop owners in the neighborhood faced severe hardships, with some houses being completely flooded.

The collapse at Attavar wasn’t isolated. Jappinamogaru and Marnamikatte were similarly inundated due to a breached rajakaluve wall, turning lanes into raging rivulets.

The underground drainage system fared no better. Across the city, UGD manholes exploded open under pressure, spilling sewage into already-flooded streets. Officials confirmed that covers were blown off due to intense hydraulic pressure in the pipelines.

Emergency Response and Rescue Operations

Amid the rising chaos, Fire and Emergency Services were deployed with rescue boats in the worst-hit Kodialguthu area, ferrying people trapped in submerged apartment basements and shops. Emergency vehicles moved slowly through debris-strewn roads as power outages and waterlogging paralyzed residential societies.

Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC), under the supervision of Commissioner Ravichandra Naik, coordinated temporary shelters at the Kudmul Ranga Rao Town Hall for displaced families. At least 12 families were officially relocated, provided with food, clean drinking water, and bedding.

Leadership on the Ground

DC Mullai Muhilan MP led the emergency response, issuing directives to mobilize rescue teams and instructed engineers to survey collapsed drains. "The rainfall was unprecedented, but the collapse of basic infrastructure like rajakaluves and retaining walls must be investigated. We will hold responsible parties accountable," he told reporters late Saturday evening at the relief center.

Residents Speak Out

For many in Mangaluru, this wasn’t a first. “This is the second time in two weeks my house has flooded,” lamented Naveen Shetty, a shop owner in Attavar. “We can’t keep losing everything every time it rains. The city spends crores on development, but forgets basic drainage.”

An aged woman was carried out on a stretcher from a waterlogged home as neighbors formed a human chain to assist those stranded. In Kottara, Kudroli, and Padil, similar stories played out as residents used buckets to scoop water out of their homes while praying the rains would cease.

 

Locality Rainfall 08:30 – 16:30  
Neermarga 121 mm  
Pudu (Bantwal) 118 mm  
Meramajalu 105 mm  
Amdtad (Bantwal) 100 mm  

Beyond the Numbers: A Wake-up Call

While rainfall figures and water levels make headlines, the underlying issue remains systemic neglect of drainage planning in rapidly urbanizing cities like Mangaluru. With each monsoon, the city drowns under its own weight — a warning ignored year after year.

Environmental experts have long flagged encroachments on natural stormwater drains, haphazard road elevation projects, and inadequate desilting. Saturday’s flooding was not just nature’s fury, but a product of human oversight.

What Lies Ahead

With the India Meteorological Department forecasting more rain for the coastal region over the next 48 hours, the MCC and district administration are on high alert. Evacuation drills are underway in low-lying areas. School closures have been announced in affected zones, and a dedicated helpline for flood emergencies has been activated.

Meanwhile, the 12 relocated families at the Town Hall shelter are just beginning to assess their losses. For many others, the return to normalcy will take weeks — long after the water recedes.

Conclusion

Mangaluru’s Saturday flood was not merely a weather event — it was a civic alarm bell ringing loud. A city celebrated for its coastal beauty and commercial importance stood submerged, as infrastructure, preparedness, and governance were put to the ultimate test.

For the residents, it's a bitter reminder that unless long-overdue reforms are initiated, the city will continue to sink — not just in rainwater, but in the consequences of inaction.