Incessant rains have brought life to a standstill in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts. On Friday, red-alert was declared for the third consecutive day in the two coastal districts. Three rain-related deaths have been reported so far, and the district officials have estimated losses amounting to crores of rupees.
A 52-year-old woman lost her life to the floods in the wee hours of Thursday. Ganga Marakalti, a resident of Bramhavar in Udupi district, was milking a cow when the wall of the cowshed came crashing down. The woman was immediately rescued by locals from under the debris and rushed to the hospital, but she was declared brought dead on arrival.
Udupi Deputy Commissioner Hephsiba Rani Korlapati, along with Brahmavar Tehsildar Kiran Gaurayya visited the spot where the accident occurred. A compensation of Rs 5 lakh was announced for the family members.
In another tragic incident, an 18-month-old child lost his life after drowning in the flood water. The boy’s parents, Ravi and Jyothi, who are natives of Kadur in Chikkamagaluru district, were settled on river banks near Jappinamogaru in Mangaluru city. They earned income through country fishing. On Thursday afternoon, the child Anjan was sleeping with his parents. When he woke up and stepped outside the house to play, he fell into the overflowing river and drowned. The child’s body has been sent for post-mortem, and a case has been registered in Kankanady Town Police Station.
A third tragedy happened on Thursday evening in Belthangady taluk. Bhavith, a resident of Kokkada village, was a 23-year-old who was part of a group of sand miners who often risked their lives to extract sand during heavy rains. Bhavith was washed away after venturing into River Kapila at Sudegandi village near Kokkada to extract sand.
Property Damage
The rains in the last three days have destroyed property worth crores of rupees in the coastal districts. On Thursday, close to 120 houses were damaged in Udupi, and the loss is estimated at Rs 45 lakh. The rainfall on Wednesday damaged over 100 houses, causing an estimated loss of Rs 23 lakh. MESCOM (Mangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited) has reported a property loss of Rs 40 lakh.
Evacuation
In Mangaluru, around fifteen families living near the Pachanady landfill were relocated to a relief centre near the Kudupu Ananthapadmanabha temple. The residents of Pachchanady were living in dangerous conditions, as heaps of garbage mixed with rainwater had been sliding down from the dump yard, on to their farmlands and houses. Compensation has been promised to affected families.
In Dakshina Kannada district, Sullia taluk received the highest rainfall of 120 mm. Around fourteen families from Sullia were shifted to relief camps in Kalmakaru and Subramanya.
Fishing and transport affected
Fishermen have been cautioned not to venture into sea. Around 300 trawler boats that had ventured into deep sea fishing in the first week of August have cut short the fishing trip and returned due to turbulent weather conditions in the sea. The boats are currently anchored at New Mangalore Port Trust.
Services of eight trains between Mangaluru and Bengaluru were cancelled up to August 11, as landslides were reported in the Sakleshpur-Subramanya road ghat section. Mud and boulders have fallen on the train tracks, and restoration work is currently underway.
Flight services have also been affected. Air India Express Flight IX 812 from Dubai was scheduled to land in Mangaluru International Airport at 4.15 am on Thursday. The flight with 183 passengers onboard was diverted to Coimbatore International Airport owing to heavy rains and lightning. The flight returned to Mangaluru at around 3.15 PM and later left to Muscat at 4 PM.
The ban on movement of vehicles on Charmadi Ghat has been extended till 12 am on August 10, the Dakshina Kannada DC announced. The Ghat witnessed minor landslides in over 20 places, and over 30 tree falling incidents. The mud and boulders are currently being cleared on the ghat road.
As rainfall of 205 mm was predicted in Udupi district, DC Hephsiba Rani Korlapati declared holiday for schools and colleges on Friday. The Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu and Kasargod district administrations followed suit.
The water level of Netravati river is touching danger level in several places, according to a bulletin issued by District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA). In Bantwal, where the danger level is set at 8.5 metre, Netravati has exceeded the mark and is flowing at 8.9 metre as of Friday. In Uppinangady, the water level on Thursday touched 30.0 metres, which is just 1.5 metre short of the danger level mark. The Kumaradhara river in Uppinangady is flowing at 4.9 metre, while the danger mark is set at 5.0 metre.
Low lying areas in Dakshina Kannada district such as Udane, Alankaru, Kalkunda in Puttur taluk, and Kadaladka, Mitthuru, Panja, Aramboru, Parody in Sullia and Subramanya are reportedly inundated. The bridges at Cherladka, Hosmath and Kadaba are reportedly submerged.