Southern Karnataka on red alert as 15 districts across state hit by floods

Bengaluru: Official weathermen on Karnataka have issued a red alert for its southern and coastal parts for the next three days as the flood situation worsened in 15 of the 30 districts after heavy rainfall in the state.

At least two people have died as Belagavi, Bagalkot, Vijayapura and Raichur districts in the north, Uttara Kannada and Dakshina Kannada in the coast and Shivamogga and Chickamagaluru in the Malnad or hill region have been hit amid torrential rains, according to Hindustan Times.

The Central Water Commission issued an extreme flood warning for areas around the Dudhganga River in Sadalga area of Belagavi district. The river was flowing at 538.93 meters, which was 0.13 metre higher than the danger level of 538.8. And the trend is rising, officials said.

Indian Army personnel and NDRF men have been deployed in the state, in Belagavi, Raichur and Bagalkot districts for rescue and relief operations and more teams are being sent to the areas.

ANI said more than 300 people were rescued by a team of the Indian Navy on Tuesday after they were stranded near the Kadra Dam area in Kaiga village of Uttar Kannada.

“#IndianNavy rescue team from Naval Base, Karwar rushed to assist people stranded near Kadra Dam, Mallapur Kurnipet, Kaiga (06 Aug19) in response to a request received from SP Uttara Kannada. By late last evening, 300 stranded people were evacuated to safety @SpokespersonMoD,” the navy had tweeted on Tuesday.

Kadra Dam, constructed across the Kali River, has witnessed a sudden rise in its water level following incessant rains in the region. After a slow start, rainfall picked up in Karnataka over the past two weeks, although the increase has been higher in the northern parts of the state since July.

According to data from the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, the state received 25 pc more rainfall than the normal between July 30 and August 5.