Showers bring joy and misery

 Heavy rains continued to lash several districts in the State for the second consecutive day. While, showers brought respite to most farmers, crops like cotton and paddy were damaged at a few places.

Dharwad

It was deluge in Dharwad and the surrounding regions as heavy rains lashed since Thursday night and continued till the wee hours of Friday.

Rainfall from dusk to dawn left several low-laying areas in the city inundated.  Surrounding villages also witnessed heavy rainfall. Standing crops in several fields were destroyed.

Belagavi

Rainfall lashed Belagavi, Khanapur, Bailhongal and Gokak taluks for the second consecutive day on Friday, while the rest of the district did not receive any rainfall.

Belagavi taluk received rainfall from Thursday evening till Friday afternoon. Later on, the day turned partially cloudy. Downpour in Khanapur continued on Friday also. It rained for most part of the day.

Bailhongal and the surrounding areas also received good rainfall until noon. Dank weather left the climate being cold and chilly. Gokak received light drizzle on Thursday evening and mild showers on Friday evening.

Chikkodi and Nippani towns received heavy downpour on Thursday did not receive any rainfall on Friday. However, the weather was cloudy throughout the day. Ramdurg and Raibag received light showers on Thursday night.

Ballari

Lightning struck dead a farm labourer Lakshmamma (45) and left 14-year-old Shantha unconscious at Chaganur village.

They were returning home from the fields, when lightning struck them. Passersby rushed them to the hospital, but the doctors declared Lakshmamma brought dead and the girl was treated, the police said.

Bagalkot

Hungund taluk in Bagalkot district received heavy rainfall for more than two hours. Torrential rains accompanied with thunder, lightning and gusty winds uprooted several trees in Hungund town.

Rainwater gushed into several houses located in the low-lying areas of Honnammanakere Oni, Bhajantri Oni, Tegginamath, Karandi Oni, Kumbar Oni, Basava Nagar, Mahant Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar and Jagjeevanram Nagar in the town. The Vijay Mahantesh Circle was also inundated, apart from Amaravathi Road, the underbridge on the national highway, Lions School and Chittawadagi Road. Flooded with rainwater, traffic came to a halt on all these stretches. Most of the drains are overflowing, with stench leaving the residents fuming.

The shed of a dhaba near Navnagar layout on the national highway was blown away. Most of the fields on the outskirts of the town were also flooded with rainwater. Water-levels in the stream that passes through the town has also swelled up and normal life was thrown out of gear.

The small bridge located near the Kanakadas Bank collapsed, pushing the water backwards, thereby leaving the VM Circle inundated. Traffic was disrupted in this area also.

Six villagers rescued

At least six residents of Alagwadi village in Navalgund taluk were rescued, after they were caught in the floods on Friday, reports DHNS from Navalgund in Dharwad district.

Girijamma Ereshnavar, Lakshmavva Gudimani, Yamanavva Talwar, Ningavva Talwar, Sharavva Gudimani and Hanmanth Sandimani, had gone to work in the fields. Following heavy rainfall in Dharwad and the surrounding regions on Thursday night, water-levels in Tupparihalli stream rose. All six of them were caught in the floods and were rescued with the help of police and the local residents.

Meanwhile, the bridge connecting Shirkol and Hanasi villages is submerged as water-levels in Tupparihalli stream went up, thereby hindering traffic movement.