KSNDMC has issued a red alert in all the three coastal districts of Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, and Uttara Kannada for 25 July.
Published Jul 25, 2023 | 12:23 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 25, 2023 | 12:25 AM
People moving to safer places as their houses are inundated due to increase in water levels in Netravati river in Dakshina Kannada. (Supplied)
Two people were washed away, many houses were damaged, bridges were submerged, rivers were in full spate, and hundreds of acres of agricultural land have been inundated due to heavy rains across the state of Karnataka.
In two separate incidents, a 13-year-old girl and a 23-year-old man were washed away in the Udupi district on Sunday and Monday, respectively.
The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) has issued a red alert for three coastal districts: Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, and Uttara Kannada.
An orange alert has been issued for the Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu, and Shivamogga districts, while Belagavi, Haveri, Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, and Hassan are on yellow alert.
As heavy rain continued across the state, the administration of as many as nine districts declared a holiday for schools and colleges on Tuesday, 25 July.
Owing to heavy rains, Mangalore University postponed all examinations that were scheduled on Tuesday and declared a holiday for its affiliated colleges.
Two tragic incidents occurred in Udupi district where a 13-year-old girl and a 23-year-old man were washed away.
The 13-year-old, identified as Rachana, was differently abled. She was washed away by a stream that was in full spate near Mundubailu in the Hebri taluka of the Udupi district on Sunday.
According to the district administration: “Rachana accompanied her grandmother Sadhamma Shedthi while taking their cattle out to graze in the field. She slipped and fell into the water.”
Local officials added: “Her mortal remains were found about 2 km away from the incident in the stream. Rachana studied till Class 4, but could not continue her studies because of her learning disabilities.”
In another incident, 23-year-old Sharath Kumar from Bhadravathi in the Shivamogga district, who went to the Arasinagundi waterfalls at Byndoor in the Udupi district to make an Instagram video, was standing on a rock at the edge of the waterfall when he slipped and was swept away on Monday.
“Search operations were carried out till late evening and are to be continued tomorrow morning due to bad light, coupled with heavy rains. Sharath’s parents have been informed about the incident,” said an official from the Udupi district administration.
Udupi District Collector K Vidya Kumari told South First, “The firefighters have found the mortal remains of the 13-year-old girl. We will provide them compensation, as per the norms.”
She added: “The search operations are underway to find the 23-year-old man who was washed away at the Arasinagundi waterfalls. We have also alerted people to be cautious. A holiday has been declared for schools and colleges.”
She also said that the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams had been put on standby.
In the wake of heavy rainfall, the administration of at least nine districts announced a holiday for schools and colleges on Tuesday.
Schools and colleges in Belagavi, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Haveri, Hassan, Shivamogga, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, and Kodagu will remain shut.
Following news reports of many degree students struggling to reach examination centres in the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, officials at Mangalore University not only postponed the examinations but also declared a holiday for all its affiliated colleges.
A wall in a government primary school collapsed in the Joida taluka of the Uttara Kannada district on Monday. However, no casualty was reported.
Normal life has been disrupted in many districts, mainly in coastal Karnataka, as heavy rain continues to lash the region.
In the last 24 hours, Karnataka recorded 191 percent excess rain. The Malnad region recorded the most rainfall, with 291 percent excess rain.
Coastal Karnataka recorded 203 percent, South Karnataka has recorded 134 percent, and North Karnataka received 98 percent excess rain.
Uttara Kannada’s Kodkani recorded the highest rain with 342 mm, followed by Bilgi with 235.5 mm, and Dakshina Kannada’s Kombaru with 220 mm.
At least 15 relief centres have been opened in the state, with nine of them in Uttara Kannada, three in Dakshina Kannada, and the remaining in other districts.
In Uttara Kannada, two villages were flooded in the Ankola taluka on Monday. The residents of Bilehoingi and Honnebail were moved to safer places. The authorities also opened relief centres in the taluka.
Uttara Kannada District Collector Prabhuling Kavalikatti told South First, “We have opened nine relief centres: Five in Honnavar and four in Kumta taluka. The people that are getting affected by rains are being moved to relief centres.”
He added: “We have also declared a holiday for all the schools and colleges on Tuesday. We are closely monitoring the situation in the district. As of now, no casualties have been reported due to the rains. We have also kept the SDRF teams on alert.”
The heavy rains in the Dakshina Kannada district have caused the Phalguni River to overflow. As a result, the Moger Kudru area near Adyapady in Mangaluru was inundated with water from the river.
At least 30 houses lost road connectivity as the water surrounded the houses, affecting an area of approximately 100 acres or more. People were relying on boats for transportation.
The bathing ghat of the Kukke Subrahmanya temple had been submerged due to the rising level of the Kumaradhara river and devotees have been asked not to visit the shrine till the rains subside.
The Manjeshwar-Subrahmanya state highway remained flooded, disrupting the movement of vehicles along the route.
Dakshina Kannada DC Mullai Muhilan told South First, “As the rivers are in full spate due to heavy rains, a few houses have flooded. The affected people have been moved to safer places.”
He added: “We have also alerted people to move to safer places where there is a vulnerability of land sliding. We have also placed one NDRF team at Puttur and another in Mangaluru. No causality has been reported so far in the region.”
As heavy rains continued to lash across the state, the water levels of many rivers have been steadily rising over the last two days, submerging low-lying areas.
Water levels in Netravati, Phalguni, and their rivulets in many parts of the Dakshina Kannada district were posing a threat to people living near the river banks.
The incessant rains in the Malnad region and catchment areas of the Tunga and Bhadra river basin have led to an increase in inflow to the Tungabhadra Water Reservoir.
The heavy rains in the Western Ghats and catchment areas of the Krishna River basin have resulted in a huge inflow to the Lal Bahadur Shastri Water Reservoir (Almatti Dam).
The inflow remained over 1 lakh and the reservoir has filled up to 54 percent of its total capacity.
(Inputs from PTI)
