Rains: Swathes of north K’taka submerged; other parts also suffer

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: Torrential downpour and flooding have been tormenting all regions of Karnataka as of late.

However, some regions have been affected more. In north Karnataka districts such as Belagavi, Vijayapura and Bagalkote have been bearing the brunt of heavy rains in the Western Ghats in Maharashtra as it has contributed heavily to the inflow of the Krishna River.

As a result, dams constructed on the river have reached Full Reservoir Limit (FRL) and have been forced to release huge amounts of water, inundating entire villages. Rains in these districts are aiding the misery.

Belagavi district badly hit

At least 34 villages have been cut off in Belagavi district and scores have been inundated. Moreover, 30 bridges have been submerged in the district. Inundated bridges have been barricaded on either side and cops have been deployed to prevent people from using them.

Parts of Hunnargi village in Nippani taluk of Belagavi district were under water and at least 26 families were shifted to a relief camp nearby.

This is because the Krishna River and its tributaries like Vedaganga, Dudhganga, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, and Markandeya are overflowing. In Belagavi district, more than 10,000 acres of farmland growing crops like sugarcane and paddy have been submerged and heavy crop losses are expected.

Several taluks in districts such as Belagavi, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada and Udupi district have declared holiday for schools and other educational institutions. The Raja Lakhamgouda Dam, better known as the Hidkal Dam is constructed on the Ghataprabha has reached FRL.

It is located near Hidkal village in Hukkeri taluk of Belagavi district and has a maximum capacity of 51.6 thousand million cubic feet (tmfct). The Almatti Dam, also known as the Lal Bahadur Shastri Dam, is located in Nidgundi village of Basavana Bagewadi taluk in Vijayapura district.

It is built on the Krishna River and has its FRL is 123.08 tmcft, which has been reached Tunga and Bhadra Rivers originate in the Western Ghats of the Malnad region. The rivers flow from west to east and merge in Shivamogga district. The Pampa Sagar Dam built on the Tungabhadra River has also reached its full capacity of 132 tmcft.

The reservoir is located near Hospet town in Vijayanagara district. The Bhima River, which flows from Maharashtra and Telangana, is also threatening Raichur district downstream.

Rains batter coast

Coastal Karnataka districts of Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi have been experiencing the heaviest rainfall, suffering massive damage to infrastructure and in some cases life as well. On July 16, a landslide occurred on National Highway (NH) 66 near Shirur village of Ankola taluk in Uttara Kannada district, burying at least 10 people.

Malnad is no exception as Agumbe village of Thirthahalli in Shivamogga experienced 41.5 mm of rain on Friday, the highest in the state. Hassan district has also experienced some waterlogging. The Gorur Dam, which is built on the Hemavathi River, has also reached its maximum capacity of 37.10 tmcft.