Karnataka: Heavy rain in coast inundates low lying areas near river banks in Bantwal, Uppinangady

MANGALURU: After two days of reprieve, rains pounded the Coastal districts in all its fury from Friday night leaving many areas on the river banks inundated, with Udupi and Dakshina Kannada receiving 123 mm and 101 mm of rainfall respectively in the last 24 hours till 8.30am of Friday.
The rain fury was most felt in regions at the foothills of Western Ghats with Kervashe and Marne, both in Karkala Taluk of Udupi district receiving 208 mm of rainfall. In DK, Mardhala in Puttur Taluk received 201.5 mm.
The heavy rains in Bantwal, Uppinangady saw houses in low lying areas, especially close to river banks getting inundated forcing people to flee from their homes. The water level in the Nethravathi River at Bantwal and at Uppinangady and Kumaradhara River at Uppinangady was nearing danger levels with heavy rainfall in the upper reaches of the ghats. AMR dam, Thumbe vented dam, Disha dam at Kadaba and Neerakatte dam were full and the gates have been opened to allow excess water to flow.
A pick-up jeep washed away in flood at Kanchana near Uppinangady in Dakshina Kannada on Saturday.
The swollen Kumaradhara ensured that the Kukke Subrahmanya bathing ghat remained submerged even on Friday. Traffic was not hit on the roads leading to Kukke and others areas as the three newly built bridges, vice the submersible ones, ensured traffic moved cautiously. The officials on Friday engaged an excavator to remove the tree branches that was blocking the vents of a dam on Kapila River at Shishila. This area being at the foothills of the Western Ghats, gets debris in the form of tree trunks or branches when it rains heavily in the ghats blocking the dam vents causing inundation of the area. Udupi District administration has already sounded an alert to the people living near the Swarna River bank to be ready for evacuation since the region was seeing heavy rainfall in the last 24 hours.
The gauge showing the level of water of Nethravathi river at Uppinangady as on Saturday.
Diversion: With Charmadi Ghat closed, vehicles are being sent on the diverted routes either via Ujire, Dharmasthala, Kokkada, Gundya, Shiradi (National Highway 75) or via Moodigere Hand Post, Jannapura, Anemahal, Shiradi roads.
KSNMDC bulletin stated high waves in the range of 3.5 - 5.6 meters were forecast till August 9 along the coast of Karnataka from Mangaluru to Karwar. It also stated that strong winds/ squally weather with speed reaching 50-60 kmph was likely to prevail along and off Karnataka coast and advised fishermen not to venture into these areas.