HUBBALLI: The heavy rainfall that lashed Hubballi city on Wednesday night caused massive flooding, followed by traffic snarls and water gushing into several households.
A resident from Nekar Nagar is feared dead as he slipped into the flooding drain on Wednesday night, said the family members. Based on the information, the men from the fire and WME services and police have begun the search.
As per the locals, Hussain Kalas, aged around 45-50, was riding pillion with his friend.
Despite warnings from the locals, the duo went ahead. When the rider slipped into a pothole, he lost balance and Hussain fell into the drain. Efforts to retrieve him from the locals went in vain.
The rains began during the evening hours on Wednesday and continued till midnight. The old Pune Bengaluru highway along Unkal lake in Hubballi was the worst affected as several cars and two-wheelers got stranded in the floodwaters.
The passengers had to wait it out in their cars. This caused traffic jam, and the vehicles used diversions.
The scenes at households on the ground floor were worse as flood water inundated several houses. Residents spent a sleepless night draining out the water. The basements of many apartments have also flooded and efforts are on to drain the water.
Four tourists are stranded in a house in Yamanur village, along which the Benni Hall stream flows. Excess rain has caused a severe rise in water levels of the Benni Halla stream, and several households in the village are affected. Efforts are on to reach to the stranded tourists through boats.
Dharwad DC Divya Prabhu announced a holiday for the educational institutions in the district for June 12. The weather department has issued a Red Alert for the Dharwad district. The extreme rain condition is expected to prevail for the next 24 hours, said the local administration.