More than 100 houses in New Mandli, Old Mandli, Kurubarapalya, and Iliyas Nagar here were flooded owing to a breach in the embankment of the Tunga canal on Wednesday .
The affected families have been evacuated and offered shelter at a gruel centre in Government Urdu Primary School in New Mandli.
K.B. Prasanna Kumar, MLA for Shivamogga, has said that the embankment of the left bank canal of the Tunga reservoir had developed a breach near the 16th-km point on Wednesday morning owing to which water from the canal gushed into residential areas nearby.
The personnel from the fire and emergency services and police departments rushed to the spot and took the residents in low-lying areas to safer places on inflatable boats.
According to preliminary assessment of the loss by the Revenue Department, more than 100 residential buildings were flooded of which two houses have completely collapsed and 10 houses were partially damaged.
The water from the canal was flowing on National Highway 13 near Mandli and Harakere owing to which vehicular movement between Shivamogga and Tirthahalli was disrupted for a while.
Traffic resumed after the water level receded.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Channabasappa, who is monitoring the relief works, has said that food was being served for the affected families at the gruel centre. To prevent the any outbreak of diseases, a medical camp has also been setup on the premises of the gruel centre.
Following the incident, the flow of water in the Tunga canal was stopped immediately.
The Krishnarajendra Water Works, the water pumping and purifying unit of Shivamogga City Corporation located in Old Mandli, was also flooded.
The water has also entered the cellar of the building where the motors are installed. In wake of the incident, the Shivamogga City Corporation has announced that drinking water will not be supplied for the residents of the city on Wednesday and Thursday.
Thimmappa, a resident of New Mandli, has alleged that the failure of the Department of Water Resources to maintain the canal regularly by filling the cracks on the concrete bed and the concrete lining and strengthening the embankments has resulted in the breach.
B.Y. Raghavendra, MLA for Shikaripur, Mayor of Shivamogga City Corporation S.K. Mariyappa and Chairman of Shivamogga Urban Development Authority N. Ramesh visited the affected areas.
