MADIKERI: Heavy rain and landslides caused panic among residents of Madikeri taluk on Monday morning. Chembu, Koyanadu, Karike and Bhagamandala villages were the most affected. Five bridges that were repaired recently were damaged again.
Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Dr BC Sateesha visited Koyanadu and collected details of the damage. Chembu village has been cut off from the rest of the district as Dabadkka bridge, which had been repaired after a heavy rain in July, is damaged.
Residents of Koyanadu said that flash floods struck the area between 4 am and 4.30 am on Monday. “We rushed out of our houses as water levels suddenly rose,” a villager said. Five houses in Koyanadu were flooded after fallen trees blocked the water flow at the newly constructed check dam. While rain was normal, a landslide would have triggered floods, they said.