MYSURU: Discharge of 1.3 lakh cusecs of water from the Kabini, Taraka and Nugu reservoirs has inundated the temple town of Nanjangud which resembled an island on Friday. Most of the prominent temples, including the famous Srikanteshwara temple, were flooded. With Friday being the Varamahalakshmi festival, most of the devotees were left disappointed as they could not reach the temples.
Karnataka floods: Death toll now 12; HD Deve Gowda urges PM Modi for national disaster status
Meanwhile, a person was killed at Veeranahosahalli in a house collapse. The water discharge from the dams also submerged a dozen bridges and also cut off several villages in H D Kote taluk. Vehicular movement on the Mysuru-Calicut Road and Nanjangud Bypass was affected owing to waterlogging. Police personnel diverted vehicles on Nanjangud Raod via Kadakola Industrial area and were let to enter the temple town through Basavanapura. However, with water level rising throughout the day, police personnel stopped the vehicles on the highway for a while.
Commuters plying to Gudalur in Tamil Nadu and Calicut in Kerala were the worst hit as they had no other alternative roads to reach their destinations.
However, several vehicles used the T Narsipur route to reach Chamarajanagar and then to Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, overnight rains which continued on Friday morning hit normalcy in the district. There are reports of over 150 houses being partially collapsed in the district.
Standing crops in hundreds of acres in Hunsur, Periyapatna, H D Kote and Nanjangud taluks have been affected.
Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G Shankar held a meeting with the officials concerned and directed them to take precautionary measures, including setting up of relief centres.
HD Kote MLA Anil Chikkamadu and former minister M Shivanna visited the affected places. The district administration has opened ganji kendras and relief centres in Bavali, D B Kuppe, H D Kote, N Belthur, and Machur in HD Kote taluk and also one each in Hunsur and Nanjangud taluks.
Meanwhile, cops had a tough time in preventing youths from taking selfies near the three-century-old Kabini bridge in Nanjangud. The administration moved people from low-lying areas to Girija Kalyana Mantapa in Nanjangud.
Meanwhile, there will be no drinking water supply to Hunsur town as water from the Lakshmanatheerta river has entered the pump houses. Also, graveyards remain to be flooded for the last four days.