With the coastal areas between Shirur on the northern tip of Udupi district and Honnavar in Uttara Kannada district receiving torrential rain on Tuesday, areas in and around Shirur were inundated by flood waters with many fishing boats and cattle being swept away in swollen waters.
Byndoor taluk received 216.4 mm rainfall during the last 24 hours ended Tuesday morning causing extensive damage to houses as well as public infrastructure, including roads and bridges. National Highway 66 on the Ottinene hillock developed craters and potholes due to the intensity of rain and flow of rainwater on the road.
Elders in Shirur village said that they have not seen such quantum of rain since 1913 and attributed Tuesday’s deluge to cloudburst. While Kelapete Karavali Road in Shirur town was almost submerged in floods, Pete Hole stream was flowing beyond the danger level. Some cars floated in the flood waters even as one motorcycle was swept away in the Pete Hole.
Over 30 fishing boats berthed on Kalihithlu Beach in the town were swept away causing considerable loss to owners. Fishing nets in boats at Hadavinakone too were damaged during the period.
With rain lashing Ottinene hillock located between Byndoor and Shiroor, several surrounding villages, including Pete, Kesarakodi, Hadavinakone, Kumbarakeri and Paduvari, were flooded. Eight head of cattle were swept away in the floods, while two houses collapsed at Kumbarakere. And, another two were extensively damaged.
The Udupi district administration, along with Fire and Emergency Services personnel, the police and Home Guards, launched a rescue and rehabilitation operation soon after hearing about the deluge.
Deputy Commissioner M. Kurma Rao, Kundapur Assistant Commissioner K. Raju, Byndoor Tahsildar Kiran Gowraiah and other revenue officials are camping in Shirur overseeing the rescue and rehabilitation works.
Kundapur taluk, from which Byndoor taluk was carved out, too received heavy rain, up to 90 mm during the period. The administration declared a holiday for schools and colleges in the two taluks.
While Mangaluru in Dakshina Kannada witnessed flash floods after receiving torrential rain on Sunday, Kukke Subrahmanya and surrounding regions in the district witnessed cloudburst and deluge on Monday. And, the northern parts of Udupi and the southern parts of Uttara Kannada district bore the brunt of heavy rain on Tuesday.
