Days of relentless rain and heavy inflows from Maharashtra’s reservoirs have left northern Karnataka reeling under severe floods, with rivers overflowing, bridges submerged and thousands of families displaced across Kalaburagi, Bidar, Yadgir, and Raichur districts.
The Bhima river, swollen by releases from the Sina, Veer and Ujani reservoirs, submerged stretches of National Highway-50 near Jewargi, cutting off a key route between Kalyana Karnataka and the rest of the state. At Kattisangavi, floodwaters rose level with the bridge before submerging it, forcing officials to halt all traffic, including ambulances and newspaper distribution. By Saturday night, stranded passengers tried crossing on foot as trucks lined up for miles.
Kalaburagi has been among the worst hit, with Bhima receiving inflows of 3.5 lakh cusecs, officials said. In Bidar district, continuous rainfall coupled with discharge from Maharashtra’s Dhanegaon reservoir caused flooding in Kamalnagar, Aurad, Bhalki, Hulsur and Bidar taluks. The Inchur bridge in Bhalki taluk went under water, cutting off routes to Maharashtra. Three houses collapsed in Hulsur taluk.
In Basavakalyan, authorities released water from the historic Tripurant Lake to prevent a breach of its wall after the heaviest rainfall in 40 years. The diversion flooded canals, roads and bridges in Pratappur, Khanapur, Gaur, Janapur and Betabalkunda villages.
In Yadgir, rainfall between September 22 and 28 was 122% above normal. As of Sunday evening, 1,160 people were shifted to safety and five relief centres opened. A total of 104 houses have been damaged.
Raichur too reported heavy damage, with 15 houses collapsing in Maski as Bhima floodwaters joined the Krishna. Downstream, Andhra Pradesh authorities opened the Jurala reservoir gates as a precaution.
Flooding is likely to persist in the coming days, with very heavy rainfall forecast over the catchment areas of major rivers. The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) has issued an alert, warning that the Bhima river is flowing at extreme flood levels in Yadgir, Kalaburagi and Bidar districts, while the Kagina river in Kalaburagi has also crossed danger marks.
KSNDMC data shows that North Karnataka has received significantly above-normal rainfall in recent months. In August, rainfall was 66% in excess at 195 mm against a normal of 118 mm. The trend continued in September, with rainfall 32% above normal at 171 mm recorded up to September 28, compared to the usual 130 mm.
Amid the worsening crisis, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday directed Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, and district administrations to maintain strict vigilance and speed up rescue and relief.
Calling for senior officials to personally visit affected areas, Siddaramaiah said, “Precautionary measures must be taken so that there is no loss of human lives, livestock, and animals.” He instructed that food supply to relief camps and fodder for cattle be ensured.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced that its senior leaders will tour flood-affected districts from Monday, September 29 to take stock of the situation. The party has constituted two teams, one led by State president BY Vijayendra and the other by Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka, that will travel separately across the State.
According to a party release, Vijayendra’s team includes eight members — among them, Leader of the Opposition in the Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, former Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol, former Union Minister Bhagavanth Khuba, and former Minister B Sriramulu. This team will cover Raichur, Kalaburagi, Yadgir and Bidar, the districts worst hit by the overflowing Bhima and Kagina rivers.
Ashoka’s team will visit Vijayapura, Bagalkot and Belagavi, where heavy rain and upstream reservoir releases have inundated villages and farmland. The BJP said the visits are aimed at assessing the ground reality, meeting displaced families in relief camps and pressing the State government to expedite compensation for losses.