Four people died and 318 others were displaced after heavy rains were reported in coastal and Malnad regions of Karnataka on Saturday due to Cyclone Tauktae. The cyclonic storm wreaked havoc, bringing with it high tidal waves and gusty winds, and affecting 73 villages, particularly in the sea-front areas in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada districts.
Eleven relief camps were opened in the state – five each in Uttara Kannada and Dakshina Kannada districts, and one in Udupi. The four deaths were reported in Uttara Kannada, Udupi, Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru districts. The deaths occurred due to chance accidents – lightning in Shivamogga, electrical mishap in Udupi and a house collapse in Chikkamagaluru. In Uttara Kannada, a fisherman who was trying to tie his boat was hit by another boat leading to his death.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the cyclonic storm intensified into a ‘very severe cyclonic storm’ and lay centred over the east Arabian Sea at 0230 hours on May 16.
On Saturday, the cyclonic storm resulted in heavy rains in Udupi and waterlogging was reported in Padu village in Kaup taluk. The heavy rains and winds also forced as many as 70 residents in Kundapur, Kaup and Brahmavar taluks to shift to their relatives’ houses or to a relief centre.
Damage was reported to the sea-front along the coast in Padubidri, Kapu, Kodi-Bengre, Maravanthe, Uppunda, Gangolli,Byndoor and Shiroor in Udupi district. At Maravanthe village, the fisheries road was damaged by the rising waters of the Arabian Sea.
In Dakshina Kannada district, 241 people from Panambur, Hoige Bazar, Kotepura Ulla, Ullal Majid, Someshwar and Sasihitlu were shifted to relief camps. Hundred residents were from Sasihitlu near Surathkal, where houses were damaged partially and sea erosion was reported. As many as 13 houses were damaged in the district.
The erosion and damage reported was highest in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. Vignesh, a Disaster Management official in Uttara Kannada district, said that parts of Karwar and Kumta had reported the seawater flooding into low-lying areas in the district. Heavy rainfall was reported in Uttara Kannada from 11 am on Saturday.
Speaking to TNM, Vignesh said, “We have identified rescue shelters in the district, and all the governmental agencies are being updated about the situation and teams of disaster rescue forces have been alerted and stationed too. There was one death of a fisherman who was trying to tie his boat. Unfortunately, we could not prevent it despite our best efforts to save him.”
Widespread heavy to extremely heavy rainfall was reported in coastal and Malnad districts of Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga, Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru. The highest rainfall was recorded in Nada in Kundapur taluk of Udupi, where 385 mm of rain was recorded. Few other areas in Kundapur taluk – Kambadkone, Hattiyangadi, Alur, Koni, Kirimanjeshwara – also recorded rainfall over 200 mm.
The highest rainfall in Dakshina Kannada was reported in Panaje – 170.5 mm. Mangaluru station recorded rainfall of 48 mm, which is much higher than the normal rainfall of 6 mm.
In Uttara Kannada, Kalbhag in Kumta (166.8 mm) and Bhatkal (152.1 mm) recorded heavy rainfall while Sagar in Shivamogga (176.7 mm), Bhagamandala in Kodagu (153.5 mm) and Mudigere in Chikkamagaluru (127.7 mm) also recorded heavy rainfall.
The cyclone hits the Karnataka coast at a time the coastal districts are reporting a higher number of COVID-19 cases every day. Dakshina Kannada recorded 1,787 COVID-19 cases on Saturday while Udupi (1,146) and Uttara Kannada (1,226) also recorded over 1,000 cases.
The cyclone also comes two weeks before the predicted onset of the southwest monsoon in coastal Karnataka.