Rain disrupts normal life in Belagavi, Dharwad districts

Belagavi/Dharwad: Rainfall from Sunday evening to late in the night wreaked havoc across the district causing inconvenience to thousands of families. Many bridge-cum-barrages and roads submerged, affecting vehicular movement. A man was killed after a wall collapse.

The damage has rekindled fears among people of the devastation the district witnessed in August when more than 40,000 houses were damaged and crops on lakhs of hectares of land were damaged.

Thousands of families are still living in makeshift shelters. The return of incessant rain and forecast of more rains for the next three days has created fear among people in the district.

Krishna, Malaprabha, Markandeya and Ghataprabha rivers are again roaring. According to deputy commissioner S B Bommanahalli , the district administration has already deployed SDRF teams in flood-affected areas and sought three NDRF teams from the centre at the earliest.

Krishna is receiving 1.4 lakh cusecs of water from Maharashtra. Bommanahalli said the district administration has already alerted villagers living on river banks to move to safer places.

According to the DC, due to heavy rains in Khanapur taluk, Malaprabha River is overflowing and 36,000 cusecs water is being released from Navilutirth Dam in Savadatti. Four villages in Ramdurg taluk have been affected due to the release of water and villagers have been shifted to safe places by opening two relief centres. An SDRF team rescued four people in Munavalli village of Savadatti taluk.

Bus services between Ramdurg - Konnur, Ramdurg - Katakol, Katakol - Munavalli, Ramdurg - Mulangi and Sureban - Kulageri have been suspended due to submersion and cracking of roads. Water has also entered the Sureban police station. People of Gokak fear landslides and large-sized rocks falling from surrounding hills after a minor landslide on Monday morning. Gokak is surrounding the hills. Shingalapur bridge across the Ghataprabha in the taluk has been submerged.

In Yadawad village of Mudalagi taluk, people managed to lift a tractor and trailer that was washed away in a stream. Water has entered hundreds of houses, shops and establishments in Munavalli of Savadatti taluk. Akkol-Sidnal and Bhoj- Kunnur barrages on Vedaganga river in Nippani taluk have gone underwater affecting traffic movement. Water is flowing over the Kudachi bridge in Raibag taluk.

The famous Yallamma temple in Kokatnur village of Athani taluk is surrounded by water from Hirehalla stream. The stream is getting huge inflow of water from Maharashtra. Priests have stopped performing pooja to the deity and have asked devotees not to visit the temple till the situation becomes normal.

Liaquat Makandar, 55, of Kusamalagi village in Khanapur taluk died after his house collapsed on him late on Sunday night. A landslide has been reported on Jamboti Road which connects Belagavi with Goa.

850 houses damaged

According to officials, due to heavy rains that lashed Dharwad district on Saturday and Sunday, more than 850 houses have been damaged and standing crops in over 100 acres have been washed away. Tupparihalla and Bennihalla are flowing above the danger mark and water has gushed into fields located beside the streams. Normal life in rural parts of Dharwad has been crippled as several roads connecting the villages to district headquarters and Savadatti have been inundated.

Standing crops of maize, cotton and onion are totally damaged. Some areas in Dharwad are waterlogged and residents draining rainwater from their houses were a common scene on Monday.

As per records, 436 houses in Kundgol, 352 in Navalgund and 101 houses in Dharwad rural have been damaged. The road connecting Yamanur and Padesur in Navalgund has submerged. Dharwad DC Deepa Cholan said Met department has forecast rains in the district and other regions in north Karnataka till Saturday.