Karnataka rains: Flood warning given in northern districts Belagavi, Bagalkote

Incessant rains in coastal districts in Karnataka have caused water levels in reservoirs and rivers to swell, causing officials to give a flood warning in Belagavi and Bagalkote.

As heavy rains continue to batter coastal districts of Karnataka and some parts of neighbouring Maharashtra, Karnataka water resources minister Govind Karjol indicated that district administrations in northern districts of Bagalkote and Belagavi are on high alert as flooding is likely, news agency PTI reported.

A road in Mangaluru waterlogged due to heavy rains. (Source: Srinivas Kakkilaya/Twitter)

Heavy downpours continue to disturb daily life in the Malnad and coastal regions of Karnataka, which has caused reservoirs, rivers and water bodies to swell with excess water. Karjol said the water level in the Krishna river and its tributaries has increased, and that the inflow into the Almatti reservoir has crossed 75,200 cusecs.

This could cause chances of severe flooding in the Krishna basin, he said. Officials in Bagalkote and Belagavi districts are therefore on high alert and have been instructed to take all precautionary measures, Karjol said.

Multiple low-lying areas among houses and streets in coastal and Malnad districts like Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada were inundated, with much damage to life and properties. According to The Hindu, revenue minister R Ashok hiked the compensation for fully damaged houses to ₹5 lakh from ₹95,000. For partially damaged houses, the compensation has been revised to ₹50,000 from ₹5,000.

Farmers in these districts have also been hit as excess rain has left their agricultural fields flooded and crops damaged. Moreover, the rains on Wednesday caused a landslide in Dakshina Kannada district that killed three. Officials in Dakshina Kannada have been pushed to declaring a two-day holiday for all schools and colleges as a precautionary measure.

(With PTI Inputs)