Heavy rains cut off 34 villages in Belagavi

At least 10 bridges in Belagavi and seven in the Chikkodi division are currently submerged, cutting off thousands of villagers in the 34 affected villages from other areas

Incessant rain in Belagavi district, along with heavy downpours in the Western Ghats and southern Maharashtra, has led to severe flooding in the area, officials familiar with the matter said. This has isolated 34 villages as 17 low-level bridges have been overflowing for the past two days.

Chief minister Siddaramaiah inspects the area where a number of houses collapsed due to landslide and also took stock of the devastation caused by heavy rains near the Shirur village at Ankola taluk, in Uttara Kannada on Sunday. (CM of Karnataka X)

On Sunday Belagavi superintendent of police (SP) Bhimashankar Guled said: “As the bridges are inundated with the district experiencing heavy rainfall, police personnel have been deployed to prevent people from crossing the flooded bridges. Despite warnings, some residents continue to risk their lives by crossing the bridges on tractors and two-wheelers. To prevent accidents, the authorities have barricaded both sides of the bridges and deployed round-the-clock personnel.”

He further said that at least 10 bridges in Belagavi and seven in the Chikkodi division are currently submerged, cutting off thousands of villagers in the 34 affected villages from other areas. Increased water flow in the Krishna, Vedaganga, Dudhganga, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, and Markandeya rivers has caused low-level bridges to overflow, an official said.

Chikkodi Congress MP Priyanka Jarkiholi said that Krishna, Vedaganga, Doodaganga and Hiranyakeshi river flowing over and the people residing on the banks of the rivers have been alerted to be cautious as the rivers may spread the wings due to incessant rains.

“People residing on the banks of rivers, mainly Krishna have been asked to be cautious as the inflow to the river due to heavy rain in southern part of Maharashtra,” she said.

Over 10,000 acres of agricultural land on the outskirts of Belagavi city have been flooded due to the overflowing Ballari nala (canal), which is located about a kilometre from the airport road. This area, known for producing export-quality “Belagavi Basmati rice,” is facing significant crop losses. Prakash Karadi, one of the farmers from Kudachi village, said: “I cultivated the best export-quality Basmati paddy, but I expect to lose about 50% of the crop due to prolonged waterlogging this year. The floods have severely impacted the paddy fields in Gandhi Nagar, Basavana Kudachi, Angol, Vadagavi, and Majagon regions.”

In the district, over 300 houses have either partially or fully collapsed. The district administration has arranged temporary accommodations and provided necessary supplies for those affected. Belagavi deputy commissioner Mohammed Roshan announced a ban on the movement of heavy vehicles on many roads in Khanapur taluk that connect to both Goa and Belagavi districts. “Since some bridges in Khanapur taluk are old, we have restricted heavy vehicle movement. However, there are alternative routes available,” said DC Roshan.

Rahul Shinde, chief executive officer of the Belagavi zilla panchayat, visited several flooded bridges and assured that the district administration is prepared to handle potential floods, particularly from the Krishna River region. “With the inflow to the Krishna river increasing to 1.25 lakh cusecs, residents along the riverbanks have been warned to remain vigilant. We have also arranged alternate accommodations for those affected,” stated CEO Shinde.

Kallappa Kamble, a social worker from Amagoan village, said: “A woman, who complained with chest pain, was carried in the road of thick forest and admitted into an ambulance waiting in the banks of the river.” He said the bridge leading to nearby villages and Khanapur town is overflowing for which they carried the woman on their shoulder for 2.5 km.