Nearly 100 mm of rain in one day wreaked havoc in Bidar district.
The heavy rain that began on Thursday evening continued to lash the district till Friday evening, causing huge losses. For a district that gets an aggregated average of 900 mm of rain in a normal year, this was around 11 per cent of the annual rainfall in 24 hours. Early reports suggest the downpour damaged around 250 houses, breached five tanks and submerged at least 17 bridges. Kharif crops on thousands of acres, waiting to be harvested, were either destroyed or severely damaged.
Houses collapsed in Bidar, Aurad, Bhalki, and Humnabad taluks. Houses were damaged in CMC Colony, Pratap Nagar and Naubad in Bidar city.
Most roads in Bidar city were under water by Friday afternoon. A wall of the Heeralal Pannalal School collapsed in Bidar. Water entered the quarters of Gescom employees and the judges’ quarters near IMA Hall.
Rainfall was well spread, though it was more in Bhalki taluk than the rest.
Tanks in Ambesangvi and Hupla in Bhalki taluk breached. This takes the number of tanks breached in the border taluk to three, as the Kalasadal tank was breached two days ago.
The tanks in Alur, Shembelli and Chandan in Aurad taluk breached too, causing widespread damage.
Bridges on the Manjra on Bhalki-Nanded Road, Hakyal-Kamal Nagar, Torna, Sangam, Botagi, Manik Nagar, Nirna, and Kosam were under water. Those in Dadagi, Sundal, Malegaon, Sangam, Humnabad, Manik Nagar, Hudgi, Dhummansur and Kandgul bridges were submerged. Officials are saying at least 100 village have been cut off due to this. Residents of these villages now have to take longer routes to reach their destinations, officials say.
Vehicle movement on Bidar-Bhalki Road was stopped by Friday morning as the stream near Kardyal villge began flowing over the road. Ane Halla stream in Dharajwadi began flowing over the road in Bhalki taluk.
A team of officials including Deputy Commissioner Anurag Tewari and Bidar Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Pavan Kumar Malpati went on a round visiting villages and parts of Bidar city. Another team of officials led by Superintendent of Police Prakash Nikam toured other parts of the district. Police shifted around 30 families to a school in Janawada village after their houses were damaged.
Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha leaders are saying over 10,000 acres of crop have been damaged, around five thousand in Bhalki taluk alone. Joint Director of Agriculture K. Zialluah said that estimation had begun and would be completed soon.
Bhalki had 107 mm, Bidar, Aurad and Humnabad 97, and Basava Kalyan had 81mm in one day.Officials are also estimating water impounded in Karanja dam would increase to over 3tmcft. Now it has around 2.3 tmcft of water. Built in 1976, it has a total capacity of 9tmcft of water, but has never held that much. The highest was in 2005-6 when storage crossed six tmcft.
