Karnataka: Heavy rain, gusty winds cause widespread damage to power grids, trees

Bengaluru: Heavy rain and gusty winds that lashed Haveri district and coastal and south interior districts since Friday evening have uprooted hundreds of full-grown trees and caused widespread damage to power infrastructure.

Many parts of Haveri district, including the district centre, experienced heavy showers, accompanied by thunder, lightning and strong winds. In Haveri, skies opened up in the evening and it continued to pour till late in the night intermittently. The showers left the streets and the low-lying areas flooded. Rainwater flowed like a stream on old
PB road.

Sharp showers disrupted the weekly shandy in Hosaritti village. Heavy rain hit normal life in Shiggaon and Savanur taluks. The tin roof of Shidlapur government lower primary school was blown away in the gusty winds. High-intensity winds blew away roof sheets off several houses in Karadagi village. Ranebennur, Hangal and Byadgi taluks also experienced thundershowers.

Banana plantations on several acres were completely destroyed at several places in Koppal taluk. The evening showers gave a much-needed respite for the people in the district from soaring temperatures.

Stone slabs of the Iliyuru Mahavishnu Temple were damaged in the lightning strike at Kakkapadavu in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada district on Saturday. 

Many parts of Mysuru, Chamarajanagar and Hassan districts witnessed heavy rain coupled with gusty winds late Friday night. Doora of Mysuru taluk recorded 51 mm, the highest rainfall in the state. Tree falls and uprooting of electricity poles were reported at several places in the old Mysuru region, including Mysuru city.

A massive tree came down on Chikkamagaluru-Mudigere road near Kelaguru, affecting the vehicular movement for hours on Saturday afternoon. The commuters travelling to Mudigere, Dharmasthala, Ujire and Mangaluru faced grave hardships. Uprooting of electricity poles resulted in power outages at several villages in the hilly district.

Parts of Dakshina Kannada also experienced thundershowers on Saturday evening. The sanctum sanctorum of Iliyuru Mahavishnu Temple in Bantwal taluk was partially damaged in a lightning strike. Stone slabs of the temple were damaged in the incident. The temple was renovated at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore four years back.