Landslips and tree fall on Charmadi Ghat — linking coastal districts with the rest of the State — forced Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil S. on Wednesday to ban vehicular movement on the ghat stretch till Thursday midnight to facilitate debris clearance.
The ghat is part of NH-73 connecting Mangaluru with Chikkamagaluru and beyond. Train connectivity between Mangaluru and Bengaluru continued to be suspended owing to fresh landslips between Sakleshpur and Subrahmanya Road stations on Wednesday.
All rivers in the coastal belt continued to be in spate with heavy rain in the Western Ghats. There was no loss of life in the three districts. However, damage to houses, roads, and bridges have been reported.
Holiday extended
The holiday for anganwadis, school, and colleges in Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada districts have been extended till Thursday as red alert has been declared till Friday.
The water level in the Netravati almost rose to danger level at Jakribettu in Bantwal of Dakshina Kannada by touching 8.4 m against the danger level of 8.5 m. Water level in the Netravati at Uppinangady stood at 29.7 m against the danger level of 31.5 m.
In all, 3,407 persons from flood-affected Karwar and Ankola taluks in Utttara Kannada have been shifted to 49 “ganji kendras” or temporary food and shelter centres.
According to the office of Uttara Kannada Deputy Commissioner, 5,396 hectares of farmland have submerged in floods and horticultural crops on 46.48 hectares have been damaged.
The Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard personnel are involved in rescue operations in Kadra, Kinner, Kodikani, Agsur, Ankola, and Kaiga areas.
‘Postpone visit’
Uttara Kannada Deputy Commissioner Harish Kumar K. has appealed to tourists to postpone their visits to the district for the next three days.
Many roads in the district are facing the threat of flood, landslips, and tree fall owing to heavy rain. Tourists should not take the risk, Mr. Kumar said in a statement on Wednesday.