South Western Railway suspended train operations between Karnataka and Goa after a landslide occurred in Uttara Kannada’s Joida taluka.
The South Western Railway is clearing the mud and debris on railway track between Castle Rock and Caranzol stations of Braganza Ghat section on Wednesday. (supplied)
Karnataka is currently facing a significant flood threat due to the active southwest monsoon. Heavy rainfall has resulted in the overflow of numerous small streams, creating a flood scare across the state.
As a result, schools and colleges in many districts have been given a holiday, providing relief to students and staff.
Since the night of Tuesday, 25 July, South Western Railway (SWR) suspended train operations between Karnataka and Goa after a landslide occurred in the Uttara Kannada district’s Joida taluka.
Meanwhile, a 62-year-old elderly woman in DM Kukre village of Arsikere taluka in Hassan district died after a wall of the house she was living in collapsed. Her husband was grievously injured.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah chaired a monsoon review meeting with the deputy commissioners and Zilla Panchayat chief executive officers (CEOs) of all the districts in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
He directed the officials to take necessary measures to prevent untoward incidents in the monsoon.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert in three coastal districts: Udupi, Chikkamagaluru, and Dakshina Kannada.
An orange alert has been issued for the Belagavi, Chikkamagaluru, and Kodagu districts.
After a landslide occurred between the Castle Rock and Caranzol stations of the Braganza Ghat section of the Hubballi Division, the SWR cancelled, short-terminated, and diverted many trains on Wednesday.
The operation of as many as five trains have been completely cancelled on 27 and 28 July. A total of six trains have been partially cancelled and one train has been rescheduled due to landslides.
SWR General Manager Sanjeev Kishore visited the spot and took stock of the situation.
The SWR is said to have been working on a war footing to clear the mud and debris on the railway line since Tuesday.
Landslide in Castle Rock – Caranzol Section of @SWRRLY pic.twitter.com/Pv9dVHEbYI
— Aneesh Hegde (@AneeshHegde1) July 26, 2023
The Tirupati/Hyderabad-Vasco da Gama Weekly Express (train no 17419/17021) was cancelled on 27 July. The Vasco da Gama-Tirupati/Hyderabad Weekly Express (17420/17022) was cancelled on 28 July.
The Yesvantpur-Vasco da Gama Daily Express (17309) and the Vasco da Gama-Yesvantpur Daily Express (17310) have been cancelled on 27 and 28 July, according to SWR officials.
SWR CPRO Aneesh Hegde told reporters: “Senior officials are monitoring the situation. Buses were arranged at the Hubballi and Belagavi Railway Stations for passengers of short-terminated trains.”
He added: “A total of 10 buses were utilised for passengers of the Yesvantpur-Vasco train at Hubballi and 13 buses for the Goa Express at Belagavi to facilitate the passengers to reach Goa safely. The train operations will resume once the site is cleared.”
All regions of Karnataka, including the Coastal and the South, continued to witness heavy showers, resulting in a huge inflow to all the water reservoirs.
According to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC): “Coastal Karnataka has received 120 percent excess rain, the Malnad region recorded 129 percent excess showers, South Karnataka received 248 percent excess rain, and North Karnataka recorded 136 percent excess rain.”
It also issued a yellow alert for the Bidar, Kalaburagi, Raichur, Vijayapura, Yadgir, Shivamogga, and Hassan districts.
As rainfall intensified, schools and colleges declared a holiday on Thursday in many districts, including Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Kalaburagi, and Shivamogga.
Incessant rain led to a surge in inflows to all the water reservoirs in the state on Wednesday. The water levels in most of the reservoirs have increased to over 50 percent.
Almatti Dam, built across Krishna River, recorded an inflow of 1.38 lakh cusecs and an outflow of 14,690 cusecs.
The Tungabhadra Dam, built across the Tungabhadra River, recorded an inflow of 98,357 cusecs and an outflow of 227 cusecs.
The Krishna Raja Sagara reservoir recorded an inflow of 51,508 cusecs and an outflow of 5,069 cusecs.
The water storage levels among the reservoirs in Krishna Basin stand at 53 percent, while that in reservoirs in the Cauvery Basin are at 68 percent.
In the wake of heavy rains in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah directed all the district officials to take precautionary measures based on past experiences of flooding that could help prevent loss of life.
He chaired a monsoon review meeting in Bengaluru with the deputy commissioners and Zilla Panchayat CEOs of all the districts of Karnataka on Wednesday.
In the meeting, Siddaramaiah said: “During floods, it becomes difficult to relocate farmers immediately. Hence, many people face difficulties due to obstacles caused by houses constructed during the previous government’s tenure that are unsuitable for habitation.”
ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ @siddaramaiah ಅವರು ಇಂದು ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಹವಾಮಾನ, ಮಳೆ ಹಾಗೂ ಕೃಷಿ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಸಂಬಂಧಿಸಿದಂತೆ ಪರಿಶೀಲಿಸಲು ಜಿಲ್ಲಾಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳು ಹಾಗೂ ಜಿಲ್ಲಾ ಪಂಚಾಯತ್ ಸಿ.ಇ.ಒ ಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ವೀಡಿಯೊ ಸಂವಾದ ನಡೆಸಿದರು.
ಉಪಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ @DKShivakumar, ಸಚಿವರಾದ @DrParameshwara, ಚೆಲುವರಾಯಸ್ವಾಮಿ, @krishnabgowda,… pic.twitter.com/MP0ydoElxF
— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) July 26, 2023
Emphasising the need to prioritise early precautionary measures, the chief minister said: “The district administration must pay close attention to avoidable mishaps. The officials have to constantly create awareness among people in areas prone to flooding and ensure their safe relocation to prevent any loss of life.”
He also directed the officials to caution people not to approach flooded areas, and district administrations were advised to follow the protocol to prevent people from reaching dangerous spots.
He further said: “Officials should have prior information about areas prone to soil erosion to effectively prevent any loss of life.”
He added: “Coordination among departments such as the police, revenue, irrigation, and rural development can greatly help in avoiding casualties. The areas susceptible to soil erosion must be handled with utmost care and caution.”
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and ministers Krishna Byre Gowda and Laxmi Hebbalkar were present at the meeting.
A total of 38 human lives have been lost due to waterlogging, lightning, house collapse, landslide and other reasons since the onset of monsoons in Karnataka, according to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
According to the CMO, There was a rainfall deficit of 56 percent in the state due to the Cyclone Chanda-Maarutha in June.
However, in July so far, there is a surplus of 228 mm of rain compared to the expected rainfall. The current rainfall in the state is 313 mm, which is 37 percent more than the normal rainfall.
“The widespread rainfall in July reduced the rainfall deficit seen in June. The number of talukas facing rainfall deficit has decreased. Currently, four districts have received excess rainfall, and 21 districts have received normal rainfall, while six districts still have a rainfall deficit,” said the CMO.
A total of 105 cattle deaths have also been reported due to heavy rain, and 185 hectares of agricultural land and 356 hectares of horticultural land have been affected.
The state witnessed damage to 407 km of highways, 425 km of district roads, and 1,277 km of rural roads, with a total of 2,109 km of roads being damaged this monsoon.
The damaged structures include 189 bridges, 889 school buildings, eight primary centres, and 269 Anganwadi centres.
Apart from these, 11,995 electric poles and 894 transformers have been damaged, with 215 km of power lines facing disruption.
Currently, two relief camps are providing shelter to 50 people. Due to the rainfall deficit in June, 53 percent of the crops were affected. As per the current situation, 83 percent of the crops have been affected, added the CMO.
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