JOIN USRelentless rain leaves trail of destruction in Malnad
Unyielding showers have caused massive damage to crops, buildings and the road infrastructure in Malnad region.
The Malnad areas of Uttara Kannada district bore the maximum brunt of rain fury on Thursday. A government primary school building at Kumbarwad in Joida taluk crumbled due to a prolonged wet weather while the roof of the government higher primary school Hanumapur in Mundgod collapsed.
Several villages in the district have been cut off owing to the overflowing Kali, Gangavali, Pandari, Kaneri, Gundbaal, Badagani and Bhaskeri rivers/rivulets.
Unrelenting showers, coupled with strong winds, have hit normal life in Joida and Mundgod taluks and brought the farming activities in the region to a halt.
Jagalbet in Joida taluk recorded a spine-chilling 190 mm (19 cm) of rain, the highest in the state, on Thursday.
Kadra reservoir across Kali has reached the full reservoir level. As much as 40,000 cusec of water was discharged downstream as the villages on either side of the river face imminent threat of flooding.
The vehicular movement on NH 63 was hit near Sunkasaal, Ankola taluk after a bridge went under the overflowing Gangavali river. Also, the stretch between Ankola and Yellapur is out of bounds for traffic after heaps of mud caved in from a hill near Arabail in Yellapur taluk.
Traffic on NH 75 diverted
The traffic on the Shiradi Ghat stretch of the Bengaluru-Mangaluru highway (NH 75) has been closed for four days following a landslide near Donigal, Sakaleshpur taluk, on Thursday.
Light vehicles heading towards Mangaluru/Bengaluru to ply via Bisle Ghat while heavy vehicles have been diverted to Charmadi Ghat or Madikeri-Puttur route.
Uprooting of electricity poles and tree fall incidents have been reported from Sakaleshpur and Hettur areas. Power supply in the region has been badly hit.
Kodagu district continued to receive heavy showers on Thursday too. The swollen Cauvery river has submerged the low-lying Balamuri bridge. Inflow into Harangi reservoir has gone up considerably. Triveni Sangama is full to the brim following heavy downpour in Bhagamandala.
Parts of Chikkamagaluru, Hassan and Shivamogga have also been receiving heavy showers. Vast tracts of arecanut and coffee plantations and paddy fields have gone under water in the region.
Inflow into Hemavathi reservoir in Gorur clocked 10,786 cusec on Thursday. With the catchment areas experiencing downpour, the dam level is expected to rise further up in the next few days.
Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts continued to witness sharp spells of rain. The swollen rivers in the twin districts have been pumping in huge quantum of water into the reservoirs/minor dams.
There’s no let-up in rain for the coastal districts till July 27. The India Meteorological Department has sounded red alert in Uttara Kannada, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada for Friday.