Relentless showers maroon dozens of villages in Uttara Kannada

Bengaluru: Unrelenting showers have left a trail of destruction in Uttara Kannada district, where several villages are marooned, highways flooded and vast tracts of agriculture lands submerged.

Iduru, Chendiya and Arga villages in Karwar taluk have been marooned following the relentless rain in the last few days. Aghanashini and Gundabala rivers are flowing above danger mark in the region.

The aggrieved villagers blamed the situation to blocking of stormwater drain/channel for the ongoing bridge work at the naval base.

Sea erosion has intensified on Karwar coastline at Tagore beach, Devbagh and Majali beaches. Rough sea is giving sleepless nights to the people living close to it.

The torrential rain has hit normal life in Joida taluk. With the streams flowing in full spate, the vehicular movement on Anashi-Ulavi road was hit badly on Sunday. At least eight villages have been cut-off after a minor bridge caved in on Kenoli road near Kumbharwada.

Scores of villages, including Terali, Anashi, Ulavi and Diggi, have plunged into darkness after heavy rains, coupled with gusty winds, damaged the powerlines.

The busy NH 66 was closed for several hours after a mudslip at Colonel Hill in Honnavar town. At Arabail Ghat in Yellapur, a massive tree came crushing on the road stalling the traffic on NH 63 for hours.

The NDRF personnel on Sunday moved the stranded residents in Kumbarakeri and Gunda near Manki to safer places.

Sharp overnight showers flooded the low-lying areas and the highway at several places in Bhatkal.

Meanwhile, incessant showers in Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga districts continued to swell the east-flowing rivers - Tunga, Bhadra, Hemavathi and Vedavathi. Ahead of monsoon, the rivers were bonedry owing to a below par monsoon last year.

The reservoirs in Shivamogga district have been receiving copious inflows for the last one week.

Chakra in Hosanagara taluk of Shivamogga recorded 130 mm of rain in the last 24 hours. Savehaklu registered 118 mm while Hulikal saw 70 mm of rain.

Meanwhile, Tungabhadra reservoir received 5 tmcft of water in a single day on Sunday. The reservoir, the lifeline of Koppal, Vijayanagar and Ballari districts, on Sunday recorded an inflow of 50,000 cusec. The water level in the dam, as on July 7, stood at 1,597.31 feet as against its maximum level of 1,633 feet.