Heavy rains wreak havoc

Many parts of the northern Karnataka, which were reeling under dry spell, also received rains, bringing cheers on the faces of farmers.

In Sakleshpur taluk in Hassan district, 30 houses collapsed and electric poles and trees uprooted as rains continued for the second day today.  All the tanks, lakes and rivers were full and normal life was thrown out of gear.

Following landslide between Kadagarahalli and Donigal on Sakleshpur-Subramanya section, Bangalore-Mangalore Express train was halted at Sakleshpur for more than three hours. The train reached the station at 3:20 am and left at 7 am. Traffic on Anemahal-Byakaravalli Road bridge was stopped as water was overflowing at Janakere. The traffic on Mangalore and Bangalore road was stopped afternoon as Kempuhole was in spate. Since Tuesday evening, Sakleshpur and its surrounding areas have recorded 330 mm rainfall.

According to a Mangalore report, the Hosmata bridge across the Gundya river was under two feet of water, disrupting the movement of vehicles on Uppinangady-Kadaba-Subramanya route. In Puttur, Seere hole was overflowing. Chelyadka bridge too was under sheet of water. As a result, Puttur-Olathadka-Panaje road link was cut off. The water-level in the river Nethravathi, Gurpura and Kumaradhara were rising considerably.
Kodagu
Rains have been pounding Kodagu district, disrupting normal life. Most of the rivers, streams and drains were overflowing. The river Cauvery is flowing above the danger level at a few places. A person was killed when a tree fell on him at Maragodu.

Talacauvery received highest rainfall of 325 mm followed by Bhagamnadala which received 300 mm rainfall. Bhagamandala was inundated and was cut off from the mainland. People are ferried to safer places. As river Cauvery is overflowing, three families in Karadigodu have been shifted to safer places.

Chikmagalur

Tunga, Bhadra and Hemavathi rivers are overflowing at many places. Uprooting of trees and electric poles affected vehicular movement.

Udupi

Hundreds of arecanut trees, coconut trees, more than 30 electric poles and 40 houses were damaged. Schools and colleges declared holiday on Wednesday afternoon.  The power supply was also disrupted in many places.

Mysore

After a gap of two days, the city experienced rains. Normal life is thrown out of gear. However, no untoward incident is reported in Mysore. Chamarajnagar city experienced rains for nearly two hours on Wednesday. The showers have re-kindled the hopes of farmers of the district.

Shimoga

The incessant downpour paralysed normal life in the district forcing the administration to declare holiday for schools and colleges on Wednesday and Thursday. Residents in low-lying areas on the bank of River Tunga were evacuated as the river was flowing above danger mark. Water level in Linganamakki reservoir rose to 1,781 feet against maximum storage capacity of 1,819 feet with 56,706 cusec inflow.

Belgaum

In a single day, the water-level in the Ghataprabha reservoir in Belgaum district rose  by five feet due to copious rains in the catchment area. The water level in the reservoir stood to 2,113 feet on Wednesday with an inflow of 21,062 cusecs.

Heavy rains during the past 24 hours disrupted normal life in Belgaum and Khanapur taluks. Belgaum received 98.2 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours, whereas Khanapur received 171 mm.

Meanwhile, the inflow to Almatti reservoir has been rising. The level was likely to increase in a day or two with Maharashtra receiving heavy rains on Tuesday. Against the maximum height of the Almatti dam of 519.6 meters, the water level on Wednesday stood at 513.2 meters.

Haveri

In Haveri district, a two-day holiday has been declared for the educational institutions. Five villages, including Balambeed and Kudal, have become islands. Moreover, 75 houses have partially collapsed in the district. The Varada, Tungabhadra, Dharma, and Kumadwathi rivers are flowing to the brim.

Hubli-Dharwad too witnessed incessant rains since Tuesday night, which continued even on Wednesday. Three houses in Hubli partially collapsed on Wednesday due to the rains, but no loss of life was reported. Uttara Kannada district too continued to receive heavy rains on Wednesday.