Heavy rainfall continued to lash the coastal districts of Karnataka. Schools and colleges declared a holiday in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Kodagu districts on Tuesday.
According to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), the rainfall was unusually high in Udupi with 184 mm rainfall reported in the district on Tuesday. The rainfall was highest in Kundapur with 223.6 mm rainfall reported and the heavy rains also lead to the death of a person in the taluk.
"One death was reported and several houses have been damaged and crops have been destroyed in the villages here. We have begun evacuating people from low-lying areas and have now started using boats to rescue people," says Bhoobalan, an IAS officer posted in Kundapur.
Raghuram Shetty (56), a resident of Idurkunjadu village died after he was struck by the branch of a tree near a pond at his residence.
High rainfall of 96.7 mm each were reported in Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada. The situation was similar in the Malnad districts of the state with 104.2 mm rain reported in Shivamogga and 116.1 mm in Kodagu.
"The rainfall is due to the strong westerly winds blowing across the state. The heavy rainfall in the coastal districts and ghat regions of the state is expected to continue for the next three days while light showers are also expected in Mysuru and Bengaluru," said Sunil Gavaskar, a meteorologist at the KSNDMC.
In Shivamogga, water levels were reported to be dangerously close to the maximum limit at the dams in the district. The water level at the Linganamakki dam was reported at 1815 feet, close to the reservoir limit of 1819 feet. The water level at Bhadra dam rose to 184 feet, close to the maximum limit of 186 feet. The water level at the Thunga dam meanwhile was reported to have reached the maximum limit of 588.24 feet.
Rain showers are expected in Mandya, Mysuru, Hassan and Bengaluru. Over one lakh cusecs of water is expected to be released from Krishnarajasagar reservoir in Mandya. Residents of low-lying areas along the banks of the Cauvery river have been alerted to safeguard their property and livestock.