Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Jul 16: The coastal districts and the malnad region adjacent to them experienced heavy downpour on Tuesday night and Wednesday, resulting in the overflowing of rivers, uprooted trees and electric poles, floods and disturbed power supply. Talacauvery in Kodagu district recorded the heaviest rainfall of 32 cms, while Kollur and Siddapur in Kundapur taluk got over 20 cms. Kundapur, Dharmastala, Agumbe etc., got about 12 to 13 cms of rain while the city was spared of the rain fury with the rain recorded here hovering around five cms. Holiday has been declared for the schools in Beltangady taluk on Thursday July 16.
Traffic was blocked at Udane after Gundia rivulet experienced floods. Vehicles took a detour via Charmadi Ghat or Madikeri to Bangalore. Hosmutt Bridge has been inundated in three feet of water. As even the Kumaradhara Bridge came under water on Wednesday evening, people bound for and returning from Subrahmanya have been facing lot of problems. Netravati and Kumaradhara rivers have been flowing close to the danger mark.
After a mound of soil loosened itself from the hillock behind a house belonging to Mourice D'Souza in Hara Paddadka in Kokkada village, Beltangady taluk on the night of Wednesday July 15, two persons named Sumitra (20) and Nitin (11) were seriously injured. The cattle in the shed got trapped in mud. The road from the city to Moodbidri was blocked for about an hour after a banyan tree fell on the road in the evening on Wednesday. Traffic on Puttur-Subrahmanya state highway was disrupted for over two hours on Wednesday, after trees fell across the road at several places. After an uprooted tree got lodged on an rickshaw in Kadaba, the driver and three others were injured.
Many houses in Udupi taluk suffered damages due to the speeding winds that swept through the taluk on Wednesday. The meteorological department has said that the heavy rains the Ghat sections have been experiencing will result in increasing flood levels in the next two days. Many schools declared holidays in the afternoon of Wednesday because of torrential rains. Houses of Susheela Naik and her sister Sumati Naik in Herga village of Udupi taluk were razed to the ground because of rains and winds. Many government offices including Udupi additional civil court (junior division) had to function under candle light as power supply got disrupted for long.
Mahesh (30), a labourer from Nanjangud working in Konganda Estate in Maragodu near Madikeri died after the branch of a tree fell on him. Another labourer, also named Mahesh, was injured in this incident. Arrival and departure of flights in Bajpe airport was affected for some time on Wednesday morning. The reservoirs in Uttara Kannada and Shimoga district are moving towards their maximum levels and in spite of heavy rains, visitors are thronging to catch a glimpse of Jog Falls which is in full splendour.