With Kodagu falling under the grip of rain fury, several low-lying areas downstream of the KRS reservoir in Mandya district were inundated on Tuesday after the authorities stepped up the discharge of water from the dam at the rate of over one lakh cusecs.
The discharge from the reservoir, which was at 58,021 cusecs at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, was increased to around 1 lakh by noon to cope with the increased inflow.
The deluge in the river has turned out to be a cause of worry for many low-lying areas downstream the reservoir. The flow was heavy in the river when The Hindu visited Srirangapatna, Paschima Vahini, Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, Ganjam, Gosai Ghat, Nimishambha Temple area, Balamuri waterfalls, Arakere and Mahadevapura on Tuesday morning.
Many agricultural fields near Dakshina Cauvery, Srirangapatna railway station, Arakere, Mahadevapura and some other villages were flooded. Some community halls/choultries at Paschima Vahini were seen encircled by water. The rising level of the river was threatening to submerge the historical Wellesley Bridge at Srirangapatna.
According to the Revenue and Police departments, nearly two dozen villages on either side of the Cauvery are in the grip of flood. People residing in the low-lying areas and devotees visiting Srirangapatna were advised against bathing in the river, said Assistant Commissioner of Pandavapura sub division H.N. Shailaja after conducting a survey of vulnerable areas on Tuesday.
Grim situation
Heavy rain continued to lash most parts Kodagu for the third day on Tuesday, flooding several villages and forcing authorities to deploy boats. Talacauvery and Bhagamandala reported record rains in the last two days. More than 25 cm of rain was recorded in Bhagamandala from Monday morning to Tuesday morning. Several roads including the Madikeri-Mangaluru highway and Napoklu-Kolibane Road were closed owing to tree fall, landslips and flooding. Many business and commercial establishments in Madikeri remained closed while the district administration declared a holiday for schools and colleges for the second day on Tuesday.
Minister for Tourism and Sericulture S.R. Mahesh, who is also the Minister in-charge of Kodagu, visited flood-hit parts on Tuesday. He inspected the rain-damaged road near Thithimathi and the flood-ravaged fields along Balele-Nitturu Road. He promised compensation to those whose crops and houses had been damaged.
In Shivamogga
Authorities released water from Linganamakki reservoir, which had reached to the brim in Shivamogga district on Tuesday. Hosanagar and Sagar taluks, which form the catchment areas of the reservoir, have been receiving heavy rain in the last five days. The inflow into the reservoir had exceeded 1 lakh cusecs on Monday night. The water in Linganamakki reservoir constructed in 1964 hit FRL only 14 times, the last in 2014.
