Mangalore: Heavy rain wreaks havoc - Woman dead, houses damaged

Pics: Brijesh Garodi
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP/BG)

Mangalore, Jun 11: Both Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts received good rainfall on Monday June 10 and Tuesday June 12. The rain, which started on Sunday night, gave a little respite in the morning and afternoon on June 10, with intermittent drizzle in between.

Vimala (50) from Kattepuni in Attavar in the city lost her life, after slipping into the drain passing by her house, and getting washed away by the gushing water. The incident occurred on Monday afternoon.

Vimala used to work as sweeper in an office of Life Insurance Corporation of India here. After work, she was going back home, when she accidentally fell into the drain that was overflowing. Some persons working nearby rushed to the spot after hearing the sound of someone falling into the drain, but Vimala had been dragged away by the force of water by the time they came to the spot.

Vimala’s body was found from near the dock at the old port here in the evening.

Four houses were damaged at Jyothinagar, Kunjathbail due to landslip. The premises of a house belonging to Shekar Suvarna collapsed causing damage to the houses belonging to Narayan Bangera and Seeta as well. The hill is in danger and may collapse further any time.

Two women were said to be in the house of Narayan Bangera at the time of the incident. However, they escaped injury as they ran out of the house in the nick of time. The house was completely damaged. The house had been reconstructed after it collapsed due to the rain last year, it is learnt.

In another incident reported at Bajal, a branch of a tree fell on a house, causing damage to the roof over the kitchen,

The house belongs to Dhanyavani, but her sister-in-law Pushpa, a differently-abled woman, stays there, it is learnt. She escaped unhurt as she was outside the house at the time of the incident. Dhanyavani who stays in Jeppu visits the place once in a while. Corporator Sumayya Ashraf Bajal and village accountant Steevan visited the spot.

Several roads looked like rivulets, with the claim of the city corporation about clearing the drains proving to be not true. At many places near huge buildings, vents for the water from the road to reach the storm drains have been closed with concrete to make way for parking and vehicular movement, causing rainwater to either flow or get accumulated on the roads.  The situation lowered the speed of the vehicles, which in turn, resulted in traffic chaos, besides creating problems for the pedestrians. .

Sullia taluk received heavy rain, with other parts of the coast getting good rain. Four houses in Bajal, Mulky, Katipalla and Someshwar in the taluk suffered damages due to rain. At Bajjody near Bikarnakatte, a huge protective wall of a house located at a higher altitude collapsed on the concrete slab of a house below it, causing injuries to Maria Cutihno residing there. Trees got uprooted at various parts of the coast.

The meteorological department, in a prediction valid till Wednesday morning, has said that most parts of the state’s coastline will get good rains, with some of the regions getting very heavy rains.