Unprecedented rain in and around Mysuru resulted in parts of the city getting flooded on Wednesday, forcing people in low-lying areas to scamper to safety.
Among the worst affected areas were Kanakagiri and the streets adjoining Yelethota which were inundated as the overflowing water from drains gushed into houses. It was around 5 a.m. when there was a sudden surge in the water inflow and people woke up to find themselves knee deep in water. As the flow continued unabated, the residents had a torrid time to clear the water. The rate of inflow outpaced their efforts, forcing people to retrieve their belongings and move to other streets located at a higher level.
Similar scenes were witnessed in parts of Srirampura, adjoining Mysuru–Manandavadi Road. Inflatable boats were pressed into service to rescue residents affected by the flooding. Nearly 750 houses were affected in Kanakagiri. A breach in the compound wall of a school resulted in the accumulated water to gush out onto the roads.
“It was 5 a.m. when we saw a surge in water flow and immediately alerted the authorities. It is the first time in 30 years that we have witnessed anything like this,” said Somashekar, an area resident.
Though Kanakagiri has grown in the recent decades and there are nearly 7,000 houses, there is no storm-water drain to divert water to the adjoining waterbodies on the outskirts of the city, he added.
This view was endorsed by Mahadevaswamy who said large swathe of land where water used to accumulate and permeate had been taken over for construction, and hence water flows from Yelethota and Ramanuja Road to Kanakagiri.
Deputy Commissioner D. Randeep and Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) authorities, including Mayor M.J. Ravi Kumar, visited affected areas such as Paduvarahalli, Bogadi Road, Anandanagar, Srirampura, Kanakagiri, and Arvindnagar. Mr. Randeep told reporters that steps would be taken to clear encroachments wherever it was required and action would be taken against officers who gave permission for illegal construction on ‘raja kaluves’. He said unscientifically built drains were also cause for the inundation in low-lying areas.
A resident, however, said, “The visitations of the MCC personnel will not bring us any relief as no ad hoc measure can be adopted to divert the water flow at this juncture, and they can at best hope for the water to recede.”
Basements of multistoreyed complexes were flooded in Kuvempunagar, and Fire and Emergency Services personnel were pressed into service to pump the water out.
The authorities in Mysuru have confirmed that 12 houses were damaged but there was no loss of life.
The rain that began around 6 p.m. on Tuesday continued till around 8 p.m. and subsequently there was incessant downpour till 6.30 a.m. on Wednesday. There was intermittent rain in the afternoon and night. Weathermen have forecast more rain in the days ahead. The city received 130 mm rainfall, the highest for a 24-hour period in recent years, according to authorities.
