JOIN USRains continue to batter Kodagu, coastal districts
Heavy rains continued to lash Kodagu and the coastal districts in the State on Friday.
A few houses and roads were damaged in Kodagu which has received copious rainfall. Holidays for schools and colleges in the district have been extended till Saturday.
The Madikeri-Shuntikoppa Main Road has developed gaping cracks near Syncona estate.
As a result, vehicles has been diverted via Madikeri-Madapura-Shuntikoppa. The deputy commissioner has also banned movement of heavy vehicles on the Kathalekadu Road.
The Triveni Sangama at Bhagamandala is overflowing and Rivers Cauvery and Lakshmanatheertha are flowing close to the danger mark. The district administration has directed those living on the river banks to move to safer areas.
The highest rainfall, 116.2 mm, was received by Shantahalli followed by Bhagamandala which received 115.8 mm.
In DK, Udupi
In Mangalore, though it didn’t rain in the morning, there was a downpour in the evening. The sea erosion too intensified at Ullal in Dakshina Kannada district and Yermal in Udupi district. With the rivers flowing to the brim in Baindur in Udupi district, there is a flood-like situation in the low-lying villages of Heroor, Navunda, Badakere, Maravanthe, Nada and Hosadu. Paddy crop in many fields have been inundated.
Farmers in misery
Following heavy inflow in to the River Krishna, nearly 2.5 lakh cusecs of water was released from Alamatti dam in Bagalkot district on Thursday night.
The discharge, the highest in the past few days, has been a cause of misery for farmers whose lands are close to the River Krishna. More than 50 acres of land in the villages Araladinni, Yalagur, Yellamanabudihal, Masuti and Kashinakunte, downstream the dam,
were inundated.
However, following the discharge of 2.5 lakh cusecs from Narayanapura dam, downstream Alamatti, the waters that gushed into the fields on Thursday night, drained out of the fields by Friday afternoon, reducing the losses to farmers. It is an annual ordeal for the farmers of these villages which lie between the two dams.
“Is there no end to this problem?” questioned Yalagurapa Kollara, a resident of Araladinni, whose gram field was flooded. Crops like sugarcane, green gram, sunflower, jowar, bajra and others have been destroyed. Irrigation pump sets and starters too have been damaged. The farmers said that the compensation given by the government doesn’t match the losses.
Fishermen affected
Fishermen in the region are some of the worst affected as fishing has been stopped in the river for the past 10 days. Thursday’s heavy discharge also washed away nets put out on the banks of the river for drying, resulting in huge losses to fishermen in Araladinni.
Villagers warned
Nearly, 51,000 cusecs of water was released from Krishnarajasagara dam into River Cauvery in Mandya on Friday. Mandya Deputy Commissioner B N Krishnaiah has urged people residing in the low-lying areas and on the banks of the river to move to safer areas. Tourists have been requested not to enter the river at picnic and pilgrim spots like Balamuri, Nimishamba, Paschimavahini, Sangama, Gosaighat, Ranganatittu, Bharachukki, Muthathi and other such places.
He said that nearly 30,000 cusecs had also been released from Gorur dam on River Hemavathi in Hassan and urged the residents of the villages downstream the river to shift to safer places.