MANGALURU: Flash floods continued to inundate many parts of rural and urban Dakshina Kannada on Saturday. Rivers flowed above danger mark as heavy rainfall pounded Malnad and coastal regions.
More than 60 villages of the district were either partially or fully underwater with Mangaluru and Bantwal taluks being the worst affected. One person, Abdul Razak, died after he accidentally fell into an overflowing Adyar-Valachil stream.
However as the day progressed, water receded from some of the previously flooded areas. Over than 600 people were moved to 30 relief camps. People living alongside the rivers had already been advised to move to safer places.
Bantwal town was flooded by Netravathi river which flowed at 11.6 meters above the danger mark at the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. Acting swiftly, the authorities moved over 200 people to safer places. The water level has since receded to 11.5 meters on Saturday. Pumping of drinking water to Mangaluru and surrounding regions from Thumbe river was stopped as the water level in the reservoir touched 9.5 meters. Sources said the water supply will resume once the water level drops. A lone bridge connecting the Banjaru Malekudiya colony to the mainland was washed away.
A hanging bridge in Bandaru village in Belthangady was severely damaged, snapping connecting to several other villages. Chief minister BS Yeddiurappa who was to undertake an aerial survey of flood-affected areas in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts on Saturday first postponed it to Sunday and then cancelled it due to inclement weather. Meanwhile, the authorities have sounded red alert in Dakshina Kannada for the next 48 hours. Deputy Commissioner S Sasikanth Senthil has instructed officials to stay put in their headquarters for the next three days to carry out rescue and relief measures.
Bantwal, Mangaluru, Puttur, Sullia and Belthangady taluks in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, Karkala and KundApur in Udupi district have been declared as flood hit.