Rains batter coastal districts of Karnataka; traffic disrupted on waterlogged highways

Mangaluru/Udupi/Karwar: Normal life went out of gear as rains battered coastal parts of the state on Tuesday. 

Heavy rain accompanied by strong winds lashed various parts of Udupi district since early morning, disrupting daily life and vehicular movement in Udupi and Manipal.

Rainwater washed away a portion on the roadside on National Highway 169A, creating a dangerously deep trench.

Areas like Kadiyali and Kunjibettu on the national highway remained flooded.  National Highway 66 witnessed water stagnation on the road, leading to further disruption.

Several roads in Udupi city were waterlogged, hindering traffic. Devotees from other districts and states visiting the Udupi Sri Krishna temple faced major inconvenience due to the rain. In the last 24 hours (ending 8.30 am Tuesday), Karkala recorded 72.6 mm of rain, Udupi (60.5 mm) and Kaup received 76.3 mm of rain.

Similarly, heavy rain lashed various parts of Dakshina Kannada district from late Monday night and continued into Tuesday.

The India Meteorological Department and the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre have issued a red alert for May 21 and 22, and an orange alert for May 23.

In the last 24 hours (ending at 8:30 am on Tuesday), Dakshina Kannada district recorded an average of 35.2 mm rainfall. 

Several parts of Uttara Kannada district also received showers on Tuesday.

Continuous rainfall along the coastal belt caused waterlogging near Santheguli in Kumta taluk, especially on state highway 48. This led to traffic disruptions for several hours. Low-lying areas in towns like Karwar and Bhatkal also reported flooding. The IMD has forecast widespread rain across the district for the next three days.

Moderate to heavy rains lashed Mysuru city and various parts of Mysuru district on Monday night and Tuesday.

Several parts of Hassan, Mandya and Chamarajanagar districts too received good rains.

Several roads in Hubballi and Davangere were flooded following copious rains. There were reports of rains in North Karnataka and Kalyana Karnataka districts.