River Krishna in spate at Kallol village in Chikkodi taluk in Belagavi district.
Credit: DH Photo
Belagavi: Water inflow into the Krishna River and its tributaries remained significantly high on Friday, pushing water levels close to or above danger marks at several locations in Belagavi district. Low-lying bridges and temples along the riverbanks have submerged, while floodwaters have started spreading into adjacent agricultural fields.
Heavy rainfall in the Western Ghats, particularly in the catchment areas of the Krishna River and its tributaries in Maharashtra, has resulted in a surge of inflow. At the Kallol barrage in Chikkodi taluk, inflow into the Krishna River rose to 1,10,900 cusec, including 84,500 cusec from the Rajapur barrage in Maharashtra and 26,400 cusec from the Doodhganga River. This marks a slight increase from Thursday’s inflow of 1,08,723 cusec.
While inflow into the Ghataprabha River has receded slightly, the Hidkal reservoir continued to receive 23,910 cusec, pushing water storage to 26.480 TMC against its full capacity of 51 TMC. The Vithal Temple, located in the dam’s backwaters at Hunnur village in Hukkeri taluk, is now submerged, with only the tip visible. The bridge across the Ghataprabha River at Shinglapur in Gokak taluk is also under water.
In Khanapur taluk, consistent rains in the forests and Western Ghats have ensured steady inflow into the Malaprabha River, with the Malaprabha dam receiving 10,032 cusec. Water levels in the dam have now reached 16.051 TMC out of a total capacity of 37.731 TMC.
Inflow has also risen in the Hiranyakeshi and Markandeya rivers due to sustained rainfall in their catchment areas. The Markandeya dam at Shirur village in Hukkeri taluk has reached significant levels, prompting the opening of four crest gates and the release of 2,500 cusec downstream. The dam, with a total capacity of 3.696 TMC, now holds 2.223 TMC.
Although overall rainfall intensity reduced on Friday, intermittent light to moderate showers were reported across the district. Areas such as Belagavi and Khanapur taluks, which experienced heavy rain earlier in the week, received occasional spells, offering temporary respite.