Efforts to help flood affected Chennai brings Bengaluru neighbours closer

BENGALURU: IT capital Bengaluru's civil society is leaving no stone unturned to help Chennai, which is facing its worst deluge in a century.

Tech-savvy citizens are making maximum use of social media networks to coordinate efforts, while many residents' associations are using traditional methods to aggregate resources that can be sent to the needy in Chennai.

Arjitha Vagulaparanan, a finance professional at Accenture, is pooling imperishable food such as noodles, tetra packs of milk and raincoats. "We are sending out WhatsApp messages and circulars to all 120 flats in Mantri Terrace in Bilekahalli, asking them to contribute whatever they can. There are delivery points arranged in Jayanagar and JP Nagar from where vehicles will leave to Chennai," said Vagulaparanan, who is also coordinating with about a dozen apartments under the Ranka Colony Road All Apartments Association.



Senior IAS officer P Manivannan announced on Thursday that the control room of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (08040001000) is volunteering to act as a "virtual communication bridge" for the flood-affected Chennai.

The Alpine Pyramid Residents Group in Kodigehalli has partnered with Serra School for some relief effort.

"A team from Bengaluru is going to shuttle between the two cities for the next couple of days. They are collecting blankets, durable food, mosquito repellants, sanitary napkins, diapers, medicines, flashlights, raincoats and umbrellas," said resident K Visalakshi.