Heavy rainfall in the catchment area of the Krishna river caused flooding in parts of northern Karnataka on Monday, leading to two deaths. The outflow from the reservoirs of the Krishna basin caused the inundation of several villages and farmlands.
A man was washed away in the floodwaters of Krishna river in Belagavi district on Monday. Maruti Jadhav, 30, was washed away at a field near Chikkodi. This comes three days after Shivanand Nayak was washed away in the floodwaters at Adeppa Ankalagi village.The district administration in Belagavi has started nine relief centres in the district.
The rainfall also led to disruption of train and bus services, particularly in Uttara Kannada, Bagalkot, Raichur, Yadgir and Belagavi districts of Karnataka.
Train services between Londa in Belagavi and Tinaighat in Uttara Kannada were suspended from 1 am on Tuesday morning until further notice due to water flowing below the track. A landslip also brought tracts of mud on the track.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation confirmed that all interstate buses bound for Mumbai and Pune are operating until Nippani due to a blockage on National Highway 4. The route between Ankola and Yellapur in Uttara Kannada district was blocked after heavy rains affected services to Pune, Hyderabad and Hubballi. Buses are now operating via Sirsi instead.
The National Disaster Response Force is assisting in rescue and relief operations in Raichur and Belagavi districts. Several people stranded by the floods were rescued on Monday and the operations are set to continue on Tuesday. A total of 50 NDRF personnel, 56 SDRF (state disaster response force), Fire and Emergency Services, and home guards are on duty.
The floods in northern Karnataka come a year after devastating floods and landslides in Kodagu district in southern Karnataka. This year, however, the southern parts of the state have received less rainfall and are staring at a condition of drought.