In the wake of southwest monsoon in full vigour across the State leading to deaths and extensive damage to crops and property, the government has issued a red alert in six districts of Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, and Hassan.
Revenue Minister R. Ashok on Thursday chaired an emergency meeting with Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai and held a videoconference with the Deputy Commissioners of the rain-affected districts. The Revenue Minister said he would visit the affected districts on Friday. He said 12 houses were fully damaged and 375 partially damaged in the affected districts.
People walk past debris following a landslip at the foot of Brahmagiri Hills in Kodagu on Thursday.
Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa directed officials to provide relief of ₹5 lakh for completely damaged houses. Since hostels, schools and colleges in district headquarters have been converted into COVID Care Centres, he instructed officials to use schools, colleges, and other public places in villages as relief centres. Mr. Yediyurappa directed the district in-charge Ministers to remain in their constituencies and visit the affected areas.
Meanwhile, rivers in spate have inundated low-lying areas while reservoirs are fast filling up in many parts of the State.
Vast tracts of areca and paddy fields are inundated in Sagar and Hosanagar taluks of Shivamogga district.
Life has been hit in Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, and Hassan districts owing to continuous rain and flooding in low-lying areas. Hundreds of villages in the three districts have no power supply for last two to three days. The water level in the dams built across Hemavati, Tunga, and Bhadra rivers is on the rise.
Belagavi bore the brunt of rain fury in north Karnataka. Though rain subsided on Thursday after lashing for two consecutive days, water release from Maharashtra continued to increase. Water was released at the rate of over 1.31 lakh cusecs (around 10 tmcft) into the Krishna and its tributaries, which led to inundation of several villages in Belagavi district.
Gaganachukki waterfall has come alive as catchment areas of the Cauvery are receiving incessant rain.
Heavy rain in the Krishna basin in Maharashtra has increased the inflow into the Hipparagi reservoir in Jamkhandi taluk of Bagalkot while the inflow into the Lal Bahadur Shastri Reservoir at Almatti in Vijayapura district was at the rate of 57,505 cusecs. The overflowing Ghataprabha has submerged an old bridge across the river between Mirji and Mahalingapur in Bagalkot district.
Several folds more
Kalaburagi district has received 48% excess rainfall — 412 mm as against the normal average of 278 mm during this monsoon so far — resulting in crop damage on a large scale.
Standing crops on over 29,500 hectares of land have been damaged.
The coastal belt comprising Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Uttara Kannada districts have received a cumulative rainfall of 342 mm as against the normal of 200 mm for the period of August 1 to 6 which is 71% above normal.
The Malnad region, including Shivamogga, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, and Kodagu have received a cumulative rainfall of 227 mm as against the normal of 107 mm during the same period, which is 112% above normal, according to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC).
In the Cauvery basin, the inflow into the Krishnaraja Sagar in Mandya district was at the rate of 37,068 cusecs and the water level was at 110.13 ft as against the full-reservoir level of 124.8 ft.
(With inputs from Hassan, Belagavi, Hubballi, and Kalaburagi)
