Heavy rain raises fear of more landslides in Karnataka

A day after landslips affected traffic on Charmadi Ghat, mounds of earth continued to tumble on Wednesday
A barricade erected at Ujire informing motorists about Charmadi Ghat  being shut for traffic
A barricade erected at Ujire informing motorists about Charmadi Ghat being shut for traffic

MANGALURU: The heavy and continuous rains that Charmadi Ghat is witnessing over the last few days has triggered the fear of more landslides even as the authorities are hard-pressed to mitigate the same. A day after two massive landslides that caused major traffic jam on the Ghat, mounds of earth continued to tumble on to the road on Wednesday in the ghat section, albeit in small scale.

The ghat received heavy rains on Tuesday night which mellowed down from Wednesday afternoon. Sources said that if it rains in the same pace, then it will be risky to allow the traffic in the ghat section. Belthangady RFO Subbaiah said landslides occurred in at least four to five places on Tuesday night and Wednesday.  Puttur Assistant Commissioner Krishnamurthy, Belthangady tahsildar Hadimani and NHAI officials who assessed the situation, instructed the forest department to fell the trees that are rooted precariously along the ghat as they may lead to more landslides. Over a dozen such trees are being removed.

Eight excavators are on the job - removing the blockade on the ghat road and clearing the storm water drains - to ensure that rainwater does not flow on the road. Belthangady tahsildar Hadimani was hopeful that they will be able to allow the traffic on the road from Thursday evening.

Meanwhile, the roadblock has led to prices of vegetables and fruits skyrocketing in Belthangady and other places in Dakshina Kannada. Hasanabba, a resident of Charmadi, said the region gets most of its vegetables from Chikkamagaluru district and the road block has forced the transporters to take a longer roue. The shutting of Charmadi Ghat has also dampened the spirit of Ramzan, which is likely to be celebrated in Dakshina Kannada on Friday.

Ayaz, a resident of Charmadi, said the locals who are living in other places will find it difficult to come back home for festival and hence they have requested the authorities to open the road for traffic on Thursday. On Wednesday, school and college students in Charmadi and other villages faced difficulties to reach colleges in Ujire due to shortage of buses owing to the ghat being shut.

Agumbe villages plunge into darkness
Shivamogga: Following  heavy showers and strong winds, about 11 villages surrounding Agumbe have plunged into darkness. Mescom authorities with support of other departments are making all possible efforts to restore power supply. Meanwhile, strong winds uprooted a number of trees in the surrounding villages of Agumbe, with some of them falling on electric poles and live wires. As many as 14 trees came crashing down in Hunchikoppa village of Tirthahalli taluk. Power supply to the village was restored by Mescom authorities on Tuesday. Even bigger trees were uprooted by strong winds that in turn interrupted power supply in Mallanduru village, situated a few kilometres from Agumbe.  Talking to The New Indian Express, Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) Arun Bhatt said, “Our entire crew has been pressed into service to restore normalcy.”

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