Flood fury continues unabated in Bhima basin districts of Karnataka

Bengaluru: Heavy rainfall, coupled with swollen rivers, continued to affect normal life in Bhima river basin districts. Kalaburagi, Bidar and Yadgir continued to reel under massive discharges from various reservoirs and barrages from Maharashtra, including Ujani and Sina.

The swollen Bhima and Manjra rivers have turned scores of villages into islands. More than 8,000 people from the flood affected villages in Kalaburagi and Yadgir have been moved to gruel centres by Sunday evening.

The vehicular traffic on National Highway 50 was closed for a second consecutive day on Sunday following the submergence of bridges across Bhima near Kattisangavi and Khani villages. Thousands of vehicles, mostly lorries, are stranded at the entrance of the bridges.

The SDRF and the Fire and Emergency Services personnel rescued hundreds of the affected villagers from Mandarwad, Kobal, Koodi Dargah and Kon Hippargi in Jewargi taluk, and Saradagi, Firozabad, Hagaragundagi in Kalaburagi taluks. Kadaburu village in Chittapur taluk has been completely submerged. A NDRF team has been stationed at Wadi.

The traffic on National Highway 150 has been prohibited as a bridge has gone under flood waters near Yadgir. The vehicles plying on Kalaburagi-Yadgir-Narayanpet (Telangana) have been diverted to an interior route. The Yadgir-Shahapur road has also been closed for traffic due to flooding. Because of which at least 12 villages near Naikal have been cut-off.

Bhima river has meandered through Yadgir city, inundating several residential areas and the district stadium.

More than 20 villages in Hulsoor, Kamalnagar and Aurad taluks of Bidar district have been cut-off, courtesy the swollen Manjra river. Kongali village has been turned into an island.

With the bridges on Shrimali-Yellamawadi, Sangam-Thana Kushnoor and Sangam-Khed going under Manjra, the Bhalki-Humnabad-Basavakalyan road has been closed for traffic.

Spl package sought

Meanwhile, Bidar District Minister Eshwar Khandre, along with Municipal Administration Minister Rahim Khan, met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday and urged him to conduct an aerial inspection of the flood-affected Bidar district and announce a special package to provide compensation to the affected farmers and restore infrastructure.

“The farmers in the district had lost 25% of crop in August rain and now the floods and unrelenting rain in September has damaged standing soyabean, tur and urad crops on vast tracts of land. The chief minister has positively responded to our plea and has promised to hold an aerial inspection on September 30,” Khandre stated in a press release.

The swollen Manjra river has submerged vast tracts of agricultural lands near Kongali in Hulsoor taluk of Bidar district.

With swollen Bhima river feeding into Krishna river, a flood-like situation has emerged in Raichur district. The Gurjapur bridge cum barrage has gone under the overflowing Krishna river. As much as 5.1 lakh cusec of water was released downstream from Sannati Barrage on Sunday. 

Six bridge-cum-barrages across Ghataprabha river in Bagalkot district have been submerged. The vehicular movement between Nargund and Ron was stopped for over 24 hours after the bridge near Yavagal was submerged.

Several parts of the state, including coastal districts and Malnad region, received sharp showers on Sunday.