Most of the water bodies, including the Cauvery, Lakshmanateertha and Harangi rivers, swelled due to unprecedented rains in Kodagu district, inundating bridges, creating islands of hamlets and villages.
They have flooded houses and business establishments, rendering the people helpless, besides causing loss of property in Kodagu and Mysuru districts.
Lakshmanateertha, which originates at Irupu in Virajpet taluk was flowing in full glory in Hunsur town of Mysuru district.
Lakshmanateertha joins River Cauvery at Ramenahalli of Hunsur taluk.
Pointing at the colour of the water, which is muddy, environmentalists say this was evidence to the soil erosion in the catchment areas in Kodagu district. They said the rain havoc in Kodagu was similar to the one in neighbouring Kerala and was a result of rampant deforestation, especially over the past one decade.
The Cauvery river overflowed up to 1.5 km from its banks in the villages of Periyapatna and Somwarpet taluks.
The Kolli bridge, connecting Bylakuppe and Koppa villages in Periyapatna taluk of Mysuru district, was submerged. Farmlands and ginger-washing units have been submerged under water. Local residents said that they had never seen the Cauvery waters reach these places earlier.
Cauvery River waters inundated low-lying buildings, houses and farmlands in Koppa town on the Bengaluru-Mangaluru Highway in Periyapatna taluk. Besides a church and an Idgah Maidan, nearly 50 houses, 30 commercial establishments and over 200 acres of farmlands have been submerged. Local people said, on Friday evening, the waters were flowing on the road and it had receeded by Saturday morning.
As restoration works are under progress on the Bengaluru-Mangaluru Highway via Madikeri, vehicles bound for Mangaluru were diverted at the entrance of Kushalnagar town.
The water inundated a residential project and other low-lying areas, including a stretch of the Kushalnagar-Suntikoppa road. People were seen pumping out water from cellars of commercial establishments. Police personnel were regulating vehicular traffic on the water-logged stretches of roads. The hanging bridge across Cauvery River at Kanive village of Somwarpet taluk was damaged.
