MANGALURU: Traffic on the Mangaluru-Bengaluru National Highway (NH-75) was disrupted on Sunday following a landslide at Shirady Ghat in Sakaleshpur taluk of Hassan district.
Vehicles stranded along the highway near the Hassan-Dakshina Kannada border, as continuous rainfall in both districts worsened the situation. With increased weekend traffic, congestion intensified, prompting police to erect barricades at key points and divert vehicles to alternate routes.
Heavy rain continued to lash Mangaluru and other parts of Dakshina Kannada district affecting normal life. The traffic at Pumpwell junction was affected due to waterlogging beneath the flyover. Motorists were found struggling to maneuver the waterlogged area.
A huge tree fell on a house at Barebailu in Mangaluru severely damaging the house at around 7 pm on Saturday. Fortunately, no injuries were reported in the incident. Several low-lying areas in Mangaluru were inundated due to the heavy downpour.
Traffic on Darbe-Manjalpadu road was affected for sometime due to a landslip at Parladka junction. Authorities rushed to the spot to clear soil from the road using an earthmover. Two autorickshaws were damaged following a compound collapse in Puttur town.
According to District Disaster Management Authority, seven houses, were partially damaged in the district in the last 24 hours. As many as 237 electric poles and two transformers were also damaged during this period.
Water level in rivers and dams also rose significantly in the district. The water level at AMR dam reached the maximum level of 18.9 metres while at Thumbe Dam, it was 5.50 metres against the maximum level of 6 metres. The water level at Harekala Adyar Dam, Biliyuru Vented Dam and Soham Dam at Iruvailu in Moodbidri taluk also reached the maximum level.
Dr K Anand, in-charge Deputy Commissioner who held an online meeting with officials to take stock of the rain situation said the National and State Disaster Management Teams will arrive in the district He directed chief officers of all urban local bodies and PDOs of Gram Panchayat to be on high alert in their jurisdiction for disaster management.