Heavy rain: Low-lying areas inundated in Mangaluru

Heavy rain, which lashed different parts of Dakshina Kannada district since Thursday evening, left knee-deep water in several low-lying areas in Mangaluru, on Friday.

Low-lying areas of Jeppinamogaru, Ekkur, Kottara Chowki and Kallapu have been inundated. The fire service personnel have evacuated several people from the affected areas using boats.

As the water had entered the ground floor of a few apartments, people were seen taking shelter on higher floors of the apartments in a few affected areas.

The Rajakaluve and stormwater drains in Jeppinamogaru area overflowed due to incessant rain, inundating fields and houses. Areas on either side of the highway from Jeppinamogaru to Kallapu have been inundated.

Several vehicles were damaged after a compound wall collapsed near an apartment at Derebail.

Mangaluru Tahsildar Guruprasad said that 57 people in Bangrakuloor, 18 people from Pandeshwara, eight persons from Surathkal, 34 from Jeppinamogaru area and 124 people from an apartment in Derebail after the retaining wall collapsed in the vicinity have been rescued.

Some of the affected people have arranged for their stay on their own. Others have been shifted to nearby schools, said the tahsildar.

Though Mangaluru City Corporation had cleaned the stormwater drains and Rajakaluve in Jeppinamogaru, the relentless rain since Thursday night led to flooding in the area. Water continued to gush inside houses in the wee hours of Friday, said a resident.

Mayor Diwakar who visited the affected areas and supervised the rescue and relief measures said that Jeppinamogaru was the worst affected. The affected were shifted to Maratha Bhavana nearby by the fire service personnel using boats.

The mayor said several compound walls have collapsed near Alake due to incessant rain.

“MCC had cleared the stormwater drains after identifying vulnerable spots. However, the continuous rain left little space for the water to flow,” he added.

According to sources, several vehicles were damaged when a retaining wall of an apartment in Derebail collapsed. The remaining portion of the retaining wall is on the verge of the collapse.

Deputy Commissioner Dr Rajendra K V and MCC Commissioner Akshy Sridhar visited the affected areas in Mangaluru.

Meanwhile, artificial flood in Akkrekere, Ullal Bail, Patel Compound, Sundari Bhagh and Mastikatte inundated several houses in Ullal CMC limits.

An artificial flood had affected Atikaribettu, Kilpadi and Nadugodu village in Mulki hobli. Three families have been rescued and shifted to safer areas.

Floodwaters from Shambhavi and Nandini rivers left the farmlands in Panja, Athooru, Kallapu, Padupanambur, Manampadi, Shimanthooru, Thokooru, Mattu and other areas submerged.

The road leading to Athooru Bailu Mahaganapathi Mandira too has been inundated and it affected the movement of vehicles. Water had entered inside the premises of Bappanadu Sri Durgaparameshwari Temple.

The road from Kuntikana to Bondel has been damaged after the road caved in. The collapse of the compound walls and the flooded road in Derebail inconvenienced the motorists.

Heavy rain had resulted in caving in of a hillock, at Pattori near Konaje, and damaged a house.

In the last 24 hours (ending 8 am on Friday), DK district received an average of 78.7 mm rainfall. Mangaluru received the highest with 210.9 mm rainfall, followed by Bantwal-88.2, Belthangady-73 mm.

IMD had sounded a red alert in the district till September 12 and fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea for fishing.