E-Paper
Tremors rock Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada again amid heavy rain
Tremors were also felt at the same time in three places — Chembu, Peraje and Karike — in the neighbouring Kodagu district early in the morning.
Mild tremors were felt for the third day in a week at a few places in Sullia taluk of Dakshina Kannada district in the wee hours of Friday, officials in the know of matter said.
Tremors were also felt at the same time in three places — Chembu, Peraje and Karike — in the neighbouring Kodagu district early in the morning.
The quake in both districts was measured 2.5 on the Richter scale, as recorded by the National Centre for Seismology.
As per the local residents, the tremors in Sullia taluk were reported around 1.15 am with a loud noise accompanied by the earthquake. According to the district administration, the tremor lasted five seconds. Tremors were also felt in Sampaje, Guttigaru, Ubaradka, Goonaka, Elimale, Sullia town and surrounding areas.
The tremor on Friday was the latest in the series of tremors reported in the region last week. An earthquake measuring 3 on the Richter scale was reported in parts of Madikeri taluk in Kodagu (Coorg) district and a few areas in Dakshina Kannada on June 28.
Similarly, on June 23, a tremor measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale, hit Hassan district and tremors were felt in Madikeri and Kushalnagar taluks of Kodagu district. Another quake in Kodagu was reported on June 26 and it measured 2.3 on the Richter scale.
“This type of earthquake does not create any harm to the local community, although slight shaking might be observed locally. The epicentre falls in Seismic Zone III and the region is void of any structural discontinuities as per the tectonic map. People need not panic as the intensity observed is moderate,” Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) said in a statement.
The tremors come as coastal Karnataka, particularly Dakshina Kannada, is witnessing heavy rainfall.
The downpour led to inundated roads, water entering low-lying areas and buildings and interruptions to daily life. According to the Dakshina Kannada district administration, 12 houses were fully damaged while 80 of them were partially damaged, causing damage worth approximately ₹ 42 lakh. Apart from these, 119 houses in the district were flooded in the rain this Monsoon. The administration also added that one bridge and more than 6 km of roads in the district were damaged in the rain.
In the wake of heavy rains, the Mangaluru district administration had also declared a holiday for degree and pre-university colleges on Thursday. While a holiday was declared for a few schools, Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner KV Rajendra said that as children had already reached the schools, the administration had decided to conduct classes after taking the necessary precautions.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert in at least coastal districts of Karnataka. There are 86 teams from the state disaster relief force and 50 civil defence stationed in the district as the weather authorities have predicted more rains in the next few days.“Since an orange alert has been issued, we are taking all the possible precautions. As the schools are closed for the weekend, further decision will be taken by Sunday,” said an official from the district administration.
