BENGALURU: Heavy rain which caused floods and triggered landslides continued to disrupt normal life in several districts in Karnataka on Friday. Many rivers are flowing above the danger mark and standing crops and properties have been damaged in many places.
A day after a massive landslide swept away their house at Bhagamandala in Kodagu district, there was no trace of the five people, including a temple priest and his family members, who went missing. The situation was so bad that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) could not resume search operations on Friday. The team is likely to take up the task on Saturday.
In Kodagu district, which has been ravaged by floods and landslides for the second consecutive year, the Cauvery river is overflowing and water has entered the Bhagamandala temple, blocking major connecting roads in the district. Residents living in low-lying areas in Kushalnagar are shifting to safer places anticipating floods, while relief centres have been opened in the district Responding to the emergency situation, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa directed Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar to proceed with taking up emergency measures without waiting for his approval.
Belagavi still flooded, Maha releases water
Traffic movement on the Mysuru-Nanjangud highway, which connects Kerala and Tamil Nadu, is likely to be disrupted as 78,000 cusecs of water was released from Kabini dam on Friday, resulting in water-logging of the highway. With Kodagu district receiving incessant rains over the past four days and a substantial increase in inflow at the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) reservoir, Water Resources Department officials released 30,000 cusecs of water and the administration has a sounded a flood alert asking people living on the banks of the Cauvery river to move to safer places.
The heavy downpour has affected normal life in Mysuru , Mandya and Chamarajanagar districts. While Kodagu continued to be the worst-hit, the situation was equally bad in many districts, including Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga and Hassan. Meanwhile, a flood-like situation continues to prevail in Belagavi district as the water level in Krishna river continued to rise after rains in neighbouring Maharashtra, which released water from its dams. Karnataka and Maharashtra have decided to depute senior officers, one from each state, to coordinate the release of water from all dams and rivers on both sides of the border to avoid flooding.
Showers of sorrow
■ In Malnad, landslides at 11 spots on the Charmadi Ghat Road blocked several stretches of the road
■ Bhadra reservoir saw a record rise in water level by more than 10 feet and at Linganamakki by nine feet in just 48 hours
■ Flood alert sounded in KRS, Kabini dam areas due to increase in inflow into the reservoirs