Rainfall stops; swollen rivers worsen flood situation in Belagavi district

The continued heavy inflow of water into the Krishna river and its tributaries has worsened the flood situation in Belagavi district. Around 41 bridges are submerged while over 300 houses are stranded in the
neighbourhood.

As rains eased in the Western Ghats of neighbouring Maharashtra, water from several dams is being released into the river. However, heavy rains raged in Khanapur in Belagavi district on Saturday. Water from the Malaprabha river flooded the Iskcon centre in the city. The idols and other items at the centre have been shifted to a safer place. Several roads connecting villages are inundated.

Traffic on National Highway 48 was disrupted at Hebbal in Hukkeri taluk as the road was submerged.

More than 300 buildings in Gokak town have been left stranded after severe flooding in the Ghataprabha river. The river receives 44,000 cusecs of water from the Hidkal dam. The affected residents have been shifted to shelters.

The Hiranyakeshi River has flooded into Sankeshwar town, leaving several houses behind. More than 220 families in Nippani have been displaced after floods in the Vedganga and Doodhganga rivers.

A 54-year-old farmer is said to have been washed away in the swollen Krishna River near Bagalkot. Rescue workers have launched a search using boats.

The inflow into the Tungabhara River continued to increase following heavy rainfall in the catchment areas of Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru districts.

Help in Kodagu

Rains stopped in Kodagu on Saturday, with residents in some parts of the district seeing sunshine after a gap of over a week. Heavy rains on Friday night had led to landslides in several places. Gusty winds toppled as many as 138 electricity poles, disrupting power supply to Madikeri town.

In Hassan district too, the rains took a break. The inflow into the Hemavathi river was 50,000 cusecs. The Holemalleshwara temple in Sakleshpur is stranded and the entry of devotees to the temple has been stopped. Vehicles were stuck on the national highway-75 after a landslide at Shiradi Ghat.

Several trains between Mangaluru and Bengaluru have been cancelled due to a landslide between Yadakumari and Kadagaravalli.