Though there was some respite with rainfall abating, copious inflow from Maharashtra have kept the Krishna and its tributaries, flowing through the district, swollen, while eight bridges remained submerged for the second day on Sunday.
However, no casualties were reported from any part of the district during the day, even as officials were watching the water-level in the river course, dams and reservoirs, and water release from dams and reservoirs in the upstream of the Krishna in Maharashtra.
Of the eight bridges which remained submerged, seven are in Chikkodi taluk — Kallol-Yadur across the Krishna, Sadalga-Borgaon and Karadga-Bhoj, both across the confluence of the Vedganga and the Doodhganga, Bhojwadi-Kunnur, Sidnal-Akkol and Jatrat-Bhivashi bridges, all three across the Vedganga and Malikwad-Dattawad bridge across the Doodhganga.
The old bridge across the Malaprabha in Khanapur town also remained under water.
Meanwhile, reports said that some of the low-lying and old/abandoned bridges and roads are inundated.
The district authorities have advised the people to use alternative roads and avoid venturing through the bridges overflowing with river waters.
Official sources told The Hindu here on Sunday that the Krishna and its tributaries remained swollen mainly due to increased outflows from barrages, dams and reservoirs in the upstream in Maharashtra. The cumulative inflow from Maharashtra into the Krishna was more than one lakh cusecs. With a view to maintain the water-level at Hippargi barrage at a safe level, the same quantity of water was being let into the Krishna.
With that, Alamatti dam was receiving an inflow at the rate of 1,00,186 cusecs (outflow at the rate of 74,074 cusecs), of which 84,146 cusecs was being released from the Rajapur barrage (between Karnataka-Maharashtra boundary near Mangwati village of Chikkodi taluk of Belgaum district) into the river course. The water level at the dam on Sunday was 518.45 m against the maximum level of 519.60 m.
Rainfall
Sources said that rainfall received in the district during the last 24 hours was 111.1 mm. The average rainfall received in the district for July was 94.0 mm against a normal rainfall of 197.1 mm for the month.
Water-level
As there was a marginal increase in the inflow at Hidkal dam across the Ghataprabha, the level has also gone up marginally from 2,125.70 ft on Saturday to 2,128.40 ft (maximum level 2,175.00 ft) on Sunday. The inflow at the dam was at the rate of 17,044 cusecs (outflow at the rate of 2,208 cusecs).
At the Naviltirth dam across the Malaprabha, the inflow was at the rate of 5,842 cusecs (outflow at the rate of 1,224 cusecs). The level recorded for the day was 2,049.10 ft (maximum level 2,079.00 ft). The water level at Kudachi bridge across the Krishna has gone up to 525.70 m (maximum level 531.07 m).
