Bengaluru, the southern Indian city known as the country’s ‘Silicon Valley’, has been submerged following heavy rainfall. Torrential downpours have left streets across the city waterlogged. At least three people, including a 12-year-old child, were killed in rain-related incidents on Monday. The British broadcaster BBC reported the development on Tuesday (20 May). According to the report, many parts of Bengaluru—India’s technology capital—recorded around 100 mm (four inches) of rainfall on Monday (19 May), the highest since 2011. CS Patil, director of the regional meteorological department, described the rainfall as a ‘rare’ event for the city. Major roads were submerged, and severe waterlogging and traffic congestion disrupted daily life, while heavy rain also caused damage to property. Bengaluru is home to offices of many of the world’s leading technology companies, several of which have asked their employees to work from home due to flooding. On Monday morning, the compound wall of I-Z Software Company, located in one of the city’s main IT corridors, collapsed, killing a 35-year-old female employee. Authorities said the city remains on high alert for further pre-monsoon rainfall on Tuesday due to a cyclone over the Andaman Sea. Officials added that the city corporation has identified 210 flood-prone areas and is working around the clock to improve the situation. Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka, which is currently ruled by the Congress party. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the local government of failing to tackle rain-related problems in the city and the state, despite spending millions of rupees on infrastructure development. The BJP has demanded the immediate allocation of 10 billion rupees for relief operations. Defending the government, Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the problems were longstanding. Speaking to journalists, he said, “The issues we are facing today are not new. They have been ignored for years by previous governments and administrations.” In recent years, flooding has become a recurring problem in Bengaluru. Experts have partly blamed construction over lakes and wetlands, as well as poor urban planning, for the crisis.