Belagavi, 17 August

Continuous heavy rains in north Karnataka for over a month have wreaked havoc across the region, damaging infrastructure and flooding farmlands. In a major incident, the safety wall of a bridge across the Malaprabha river was breached near Bevinhal village in Hungund taluk, Bagalkot, on Saturday night.

The Malaprabha river, swollen by heavy inflow from the rain-battered Belagavi district, overflowed and inundated hundreds of acres of farmland, causing significant agricultural damage.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Bengaluru has forecast more heavy rainfall until 20 August, particularly in coastal and Malnad districts, as well as parts of northern and southern Karnataka.

A yellow alert has been issued for the northern and southern interior regions, while orange and red alerts are in place for coastal and Malnad areas. The IMD has issued an orange alert for Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, and Udupi districts on the coast, and Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu, and Shivamogga in the Malnad region, all of which have witnessed persistent and intense rainfall since the onset of the monsoon.

In response, district administrations in Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga, and Chikkamagaluru have issued high alerts, urging residents to stay indoors and away from rivers and water bodies.

The Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority has forecast widespread rainfall with strong winds across the state over the next week, with particularly intense rain expected along the coast on 18 and 19 August.

Salar News