As rains continue to batter and cause mayhem in northern and coastal Karnataka, many parts of the state face the threat of being marooned, either due to flooding or because roads have been damaged due to the downpour. Many houses were submerged in places like Sringeri, Mudigere, Koppa, Kigga and also in parts of Kodagu, Shivamogga, Belagavi and Bellari.
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has released Rs 50 crore for flood-relief related work in the state. He is currently being treated after testing positive for the novel coronavirus. Further, Rs 10,000 immediate relief has also been announced in the state for families affected by floods, and Rs 5 lakh for those whose houses have been damaged.
As the state is grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic as well, the chief minister has also instructed officials to make use of schools, colleges and public places to shelter those affected by rain and floods. Hostels and community halls in the state are being utilised as COVID Care centres.
Electricity has been cut off for most of the day in districts like Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru and Belagavi. As gusty winds have uprooted trees and electricity poles, officials are finding it difficult to continue power restoration without interruptions.
Landslides were also seen in districts like Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru. The one in Kodagu happened in Brahmagiri Hills near Talacauvery and swept away two homes and left four persons missing.
Visuals from the landslide near Talacauvery in Kodagu, Karnataka. Search efforts are underway to find four missing people - a local priest Narayana Achar and his family. pic.twitter.com/BwnSsjaUOy
— Prajwal (@prajwalmanipal) August 6, 2020
Charmadi Ghat road – which connects Dakshina Kannada district with interior parts of Karnataka – has been blocked off for almost two days now as officials feared landslides with heavy rains continuing in the region. Sringeri-Mangalore highway was also closed after heavy rains caused flooding of the road. Bisle Ghat Hill too witnessed landslides, cutting off the only road to several villages beyond. Landslides caused temporary blockage of a tunnel section of the Konkan Railway at Pernem in Karwar.
The state government had to open the gates of a dam in Uttara Kannada district to prevent flooding on the banks of the Kalinadi and Kadra rivers. Flood warning has been issued in Mysuru as well after 40,000 cusecs of water was released into the Cauvery river from the Kabini dam at Beechanahalli in HD Kote taluk.
Crops have been destroyed in districts like Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Mysuru and Dakshina Kannada. Officials have been instructed by the chief minister to conduct a survey and assess the crop loss at the earliest. In districts like Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru, cash crop plantations too have been ravaged by the incessant rain and strong winds.
There is a red alert in place in the coastal, central, and south interior parts of Karnataka, as the state braces for further rainfall for the remainder of this week.