The weathermen have predicted heavy to very heavy rain for the next five days in the three coastal districts even as the skies remained largely cloudy with brief spells of rain here and there across Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts on Tuesday.
However, rain caused much damage to residential buildings and horticulture crops in Udupi district. As many 16 houses and three cowsheds were either partially or fully damaged in Kundapur, Karkala, Kaup and Brahmavar taluks. Crops in seven horticulture plantations in Kundapur taluk, including Shankaranarayana, Korgi and Vaderahobli villages were damaged in rain, according to the Udupi district administration. Udupi district received an average 47 mm rainfall during the 24 hours ended at 8 a.m. on Tuesday.
The India Meteorological Department has said that heavy rain or thunderstorm will occur at isolated places in the coastal districts where rainfall exceeded 115 mm till Wednesday morning. Heavy to very heavy rainfall or thunderstorm will continue to occur in the coastal districts till May 20 from when the rain is likely to lose its vigour. The department has said that there will be heavy rainfall or thunderstorm on May 21 and 22 in the three districts where rainfall has exceeded 65 mm.
Highway work
The ongoing work on National Highway 75 to widen the stretch between BC Road and Adda Hole into four lanes by the National Highways Authority of India has been causing miseries to road users as well as residents of the adjoining areas. Untimely heavy rain has also caught the contractor unawares as the agency appeared not prepared for it.
Earth digging and cutting for road widening have caused soil erosion across the alignment even as the existing road stretch remains flooded whenever it rains thereby putting road users into severe inconvenience. Traffic snarls too have become common between BC Road and Mani on National Highway 75.
School building
Portions of a dilapidated building of a government primary school at Belaringe near Kinya, Talapady, collapsed due to heavy rain on Monday night. Classes were not being conducted in the building due to its poor condition for since about a year, officials of the Education Department said.
The weather department has cautioned fishermen not to venture into the sea for the next 24 hours as squally wind with speeds reaching 40kmph-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph is likely to prevail along and off the coast.
