Rainfall leaves a trail of destruction in Dakshina Kannada

Heavy rain, accompanied by a gusty wind, uprooted many trees and led to the falling of electricity poles across Dakshina Kannada district on Sunday and Monday night.

After electricity poles fell down, the power supply was disrupted in many parts of the district.

Local residents assisted Mescom personnel in carrying out repair works and succeeded in restoring the power supply in a few areas by midnight. Six electricity poles came crashing down when a huge tree fell on them on Elyar-Newpadpu road.

The electricity poles were uprooted after a tree fell on them at Innoli. A few houses were damaged in Shambur, Madiwalapadpu and Mithakatta in Bantwal taluk after a tree fell on them.

Houses were partially damaged in Ullas Nagara, Malar, Tippu Nagara, Akshara Nagara and Arastana in Pavoor.

The asbestos sheets of rangamandira, toilets, and library of a school at Panelabarike in Pajeer were blown away by the gusty wind.

A mother and her daughter suffered injuries after lightning struck the house at Kavalapadoor in Bantwal taluk. The injured were identified as Geetha (29) and her daughter Rashmitha (10). Both were admitted to a hospital in Bantwal.

Rain damages were also reported at Sajipamunnur, Shambur, Balthila, Kavalapadoor, Narikombu, Sajipanadu, Pudu, Badagabellur, Kodman and Naringan.

Losses due to the downpour are estimated to be Rs 15 lakh. Eighteen houses and a cowshed in Bantwal taluk were damaged. Horticultural crops too were damaged at four places.

A pump house was damaged after a tree crashed on it at Kempimajalu in Uppinangady. A portion of a house owned by Meenugadde Babu Naik was damaged after a huge tree fell on it at Kuchooru. As heavy rain is expected till April 14, a Yellow alert was sounded in coastal districts.

According to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNMDC), 80 mm of rainfall was recorded in 24 hours between 8.30 am on April 11 to 8.30 am on April 12 in Mangaluru. KSNMDC’s forecast was light to moderate rain with isolated heavy rainfall likely over Malnad and coastal districts.