Rain wreaks havoc in State

Deepavali celebrations were dampened as rain had pumelled Chitradurga for over eight hours non-stop since Sunday evening. Nine houses collapsed while 990 were partially damaged. The district administration has estimated the loss at Rs 70 lakh.

The traffic on National Highway 13 was banned for a few hours as Mallapur tank overflowed for the second time in a week. Vehicles were diverted to other routes. Normal life was thrown out of gear as water gushed into the low-lying areas. People were seen wading through water with the support of ropes. A watch tower of the ancient fort has collapsed.

Chitradurga recorded the highest rainfall of 135.6 mm on Sunday night. A holiday was declared for schools and colleges in the district.

Crops in 15,000 hectares in the Mayakonda hobli of Davangere taluk washed away as a tank overflowed. The rain damage in Davangere district has been put at Rs 300 crore. Water bodies filled to the brim following incessant rain in Tumkur district. There have been reports of house collapse in Kunigal and Madhugiri taluks.

Shimoga and Bhadravathi witnessed torrential rain.  Sorab, Tirthahalli, Hosanagar and Sagar taluks experienced  drizzle. The water in the Linganamakki reservoir reached 1,814 feet, five feet short of the full reservoir level. A total of 21 houses collapsed in the district while crops in vast tracts of land have been washed away. Ten-thousand bags of maize stocked at APMC market yard have sprouted due to increased moisture content causing heavy loss to the growers.

Bidar received showers from dawn to dusk on Monday. Business was affected as people remained indoors.

The north-east monsoon turned vigorous in the State due to the “Jal” cyclonic storm. The rain fury has claimed as many as nine lives and damaged about 4,000 houses in one week. Chitradurga, Tumkur, Chikkaballapur, Mandya and Bangalore rural bore the brunt of the cyclone-triggered rain.

“The rainfall has been widespread. Nearly 87 per cent of 743 hoblies in the State received rain on Sunday. However, the intensity was low. Hence, there was no widespread damage,” Director of Karnataka State Natural Disaster Management Centre V S Prakash said.

Agriculture experts said the rain would help farm activities during the rabi season. The downpour has also recharged the ground water.