JOIN USDK gets 80 pc more rains, but very far from 1975 record !
If you happen to ask any elderely person in Dakshina Kannada district about “heavy rains,” most of them dismiss saying: “It’s nothing when compared to 1974 rains!” And there is a reason for it, as it is said that the entire district (then undivided DK district, comprising Udupi district too) came to a standstill and rescue teams had to travel by boats on roads to help the flood victims.
In fact, almost the entire Bantwal region was said to be submerged as the River Nethravathi failed to keep the downpour in its ambit.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, World Konkani Centre Founder and an Octogenarian Basti Vaman Shenoy (who was a Sydnicate Bank staff then) recalled how the flood water started increasing on the night of July 25, 1974 and how the people took shelter atop the hills in the Bantwal region.
“The floodwater started flowing almost more than one feet above the Panemangalore bridge submerging the entire Bantwal region, Thumbe and Brahmarakutlu and the water started reducing on July 27,” he said and recalled how the then Union Minister T A Pai and Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari Dr D Veerendra Heggade helped people with clothes, vessels and gruel centres. The district witnessed such rains earlier in 1924, Shenoy said quoting his father.
However, according to the figures available at the District Statistics Department, the district received 5,459 mm rainfall, the highest annual average rainfall, in 1975 as against the average rainfall of 3,912 mm, which is 40 per cent increase in the average rainfall.
The next time the district received such heavy rains is in 1994, when the Port City received 4,904 mm rains, that is, 25 per cent more than the average rainfall. Now, coming to 2013, the district has received 2,313 mm rainfall till July 20, this year (2013), which is 17 per cent more than the average rainfall (till July 20), according to District Statistical Officer Pradeep D’Souza.
Hence, unless the district receives another 3,146 mm rainfall by December, it will not break the 1975 record. (The district has to receive 2,591 mm rains to break 1994 record).
Interestingly, though the district has already received 17 per cent more rains (till July 20) when compared to the average annual rainfall (2,134 mm), the amount of rains received in the district this year is 80 per cent more, when compared with the corresponding period last year (2012) (1,753 mm).
In Dakshina Kannada district, Sullia taluk has received highest amount of rainfall with 2,131 mm (average 1,472 mm) this year (45 per cent increase) while Mangalore has recorded lowest amount of rainfall with 1,894 mm against 1,716 mm average rainfall, which is only 11 per cent more than the average rainfall.
However, in recent years, the district received the lowest rainfall in 2002, with 3,127 mm annual rainfall, which is 20 per cent less than the annual average rainfall.
123 rainy days in DK
Pradeep D’Souza said that the DK district has 123 rainy days as per record. A day is considered as a ‘rainy day’ if it receives more than 2.5 mm or rains per day. The district has 36 rain gauging stations, he added.