BELAGAVI: Incessant rainfall across the Western Ghats surrounding Karnataka's borders with Maharashtra and Goa and the overflowing Krishna and its tributaries have wreaked havoc throughout the Mumbai-Karnataka region in the Krishna basin.
The swelling Malaprabha, Ghataprabha, Markendeya and other smaller rivers on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border led to the flooding of several villages on Sunday night.
Several streets, bridges and residential localities were submerged in Belagavi district, mainly in Saudatti, Ramdurg, Khanapur and Gokak disrupting normal life. Low-lying bridges across the Krishna river were submerged in Chikkodi taluk cutting routes to various parts.
Flood-prone villages in Saudatti taluk including Munvalli and Sunnal were flooded while Kudchi and Munvalli bridges were totally inundated. A landslide at Shivthan railway station, Khanapur, affected the movement of trains on Hubli-Londa route. The state highway connecting Belagavi and Bagalkot caved in near Belagavi.
A huge Gangambika temple on the Malaprabha river was submerged due to the rise in water level at M K Hubli and crops in thousands of hectares of farmland in the vicinity were inundated.
Senior officials of the Water Resoures Departments from Karnataka and Maharashtra had a virtual meeting on Sunday evening to keep the levels of Almatti dam, Koyna dam, Hidkal dam and all other major reservoirs in check to avoid floods and damages. The level of Almatti dam is merely 1 metre short of its maximum 519.60 metres.