Many trees were uprooted and electric poles damaged in the rains on Monday. | Photo Credit: Sathish G.T.
Heavy downpour that lashed parts of Shivamogga district on Monday evening hit normal life. As hundreds of trees were uprooted and electric poles were damaged, many residential neighbourhoods in the city and many villages had no power supply until Tuesday evening.
Shivamogga district recorded an average rainfall of 12.2 mm against the normal of 5.9 mm in the 24 hours that ended at 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday. Among the taluks in the district, Shikaripur received 26 mm of rainfall, and Shivamogga taluk recorded 14.7 mm.
According to MESCOM officials, the rain damaged 410 electric poles across the district. By Tuesday evening, the staff had replaced 341 poles. And, power supply was disrupted in 200 villages in the district. “We have replaced 341 poles, and 69 are yet to be replaced. This will be completed within a day. Our priority is to restore power supply in residential areas,” said R. Madhusudan, AEE of MESCOM.
In Shivamogga city, many localities had no power supply for over 16 hours. Those who work from home had to depend on alternative sources of power. The officials said the power supply was restored in the city by Tuesday evening.
Shivamogga City Corporation staff were busy clearing trees that fell during the rains. Shivamogga MLA S.N. Channabasappa visited the rain-hit areas on Monday night and gave instructions to officers.
In Hassan, heavy rains damaged public and private properties. Many trees were uprooted, and electricity supply systems were damaged. A house on Vallabhbhai Road in Hassan city was damaged on Monday evening. As the wall collapsed, an autorickshaw parked nearby was also damaged. Hassan recorded an average of 7.7 mm of rainfall against the normal of 4.3 mm in the 24 hours.
