Udupi police, along with officials from the fire department, rescued a pregnant woman in Katapady by boat after her house was flooded following the constant rains that have been lashing the district since Friday.
Heavy rains on Friday and Saturday claimed the lives of four persons in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, forcing the respective district administrations to issue alerts and prompt rescue operations.
"A woman who was stranded on the first floor of a building in Katapady was rescued after her house was flooded. We decided to take precautions and transport her from there by boat," said Laxman Nimbargi, Superintendent of Police (SP), Udupi.
The rescue operations also managed to transport several families including senior citizens left stranded by the rains. However, it also led to the deaths of four persons.
A 68-year-old woman Parvathi and her grandson Dhanush (11) were killed after their neighbour’s compound wall came crashing on their house in Hebbarabailu in Puttur at the wee hours of Saturday around 1.45 am.
Landslide in Puttur claimed the lives of two people
In another case, 60-year-old Kamala accidentally fell into a well filled with rainwater at her house in Sudekattemar at Anantady in Vittal.
In Chikkamagaluru, a 46-year-old farmer hailing from Ginagal village in Sringeri drowned in a pond. The areca nut farmer’s body was fished out of the pond by a family who later spotted it floating in the water.
The rainfall in the Dakshina Kannada district till Saturday measuring 1,957 mm is approximately 49 per cent higher compared to the same period last year.
Minister of Dakshina Kannada, UT Khader, convened an emergency meeting on Saturday to review the monsoon situation.
He told officials not to wait for orders but to act proactively with rescue operations as the situation demands.
"We will try to mobilize maximum funds to ensure relief for those affected by the floods," he said. Fishermen have been warned not to venture into the Arabian sea.
Authorities continue to monitor the situation at Uppinangadi, where the rainfall has caused a flood-like situation.
The water in Netravathi River that has reached 27 metres, a few marks short of reaching 31.5 metres. The Assistant Commissioner of Puttur Krishnamurthy has flagged the matter in the official meeting and the taluka has already set up a rain shelter at a college in Uppinangady to accommodate those affected.
Some flights at Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) have been rescheduled due to the rains.
The rains have affected vehicular movements at Padubidri bridge (NH-66), which connects Mangaluru to Udupi and traffic was also affected on Charmadi Ghat as the travellers explored alternative routes to and from the district.
Meanwhile, Udupi district recorded 170.8 mm rain on Friday and the water level in rivers Souparnika, Kubja Varahi, among others, has already crossed the danger limit. Relief centres have been sent up in Nirrur, Beedina Gudde and Katapady.
Over 120 people have already been shifted to safety in Udupi. Rescue officials were seen using boats at Majooru, Padubidri, Katpadi and other low-lying areas to assist people as well as to provide temporary relief material at the waterlogged areas.
While a team of 30 from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has already been pressed into service in Udupi for rescue and relief operation, another one will be stationed on a standby at Mangaluru on Sunday.
Content provided by www.storyinfinity.com (Subs and Scribes Media Ventures LLP).
With inputs from Prajwal Bhat.