Monsoon fury claims 12 lives in six days
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10/07/2009
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Hindu (New Delhi)
Karnataka Bureau
Bangalore: Incessant rain in coastal Malnad, south interior Karnataka and Belgaum over the past six days has claimed 12 lives, and the weather bureau has indicated that there will be no respite from the monsoon fury in these regions for the next two days.
District authorities in Kodagu, Shimoga and Belgaum have declared holidays for educational institutions. The government declared holiday for three days from Thursday for schools and colleges in Sorab, Sagar, Hosanagar and Tirthahalli taluks in Shimoga district, which have been receiving heavy rain.
Kodagu Deputy Commissioner has declared holiday for schools in the district on Friday and Saturday. In Belgaum, the administration has declared holiday for all schools in Khanapur and only primary schools in Belgaum taluk on Friday.
Steady increase
Rainfall in Kodagu intensified on Thursday and the water-level in the Cauvery was steadily increasing. Vast expanse of paddy fields lay submerged in Bhagamandala, Kadnur near Virajpet, and Nittur near Balele areas. The level in the Krishnaraja Sagar Reservoir (KRS) near Mysore was 91 ft. on Thursday against the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 124.80 ft. The inflow into the dam was 18,503 cusecs. The inflow into the Kabini Reservoir at H.D. Kote had increased to 15,600 cusecs and the water-level was at 2,279.2 ft. (at 6 p.m. on Thursday). People in low-lying areas in the downstream of Kabini were cautioned on the outflow from the dam.
Heavy rain has also been reported in Hassan district and the inflow into the Hemavathi reservoir was 12,600 cusecs.
Girl drowned
In Shimoga district, a young girl, Sharavathy, died when she fell into a swollen stream at Hirjeni Oddinamane in Hosanagar taluk. In another case, Somasekhar (38) drowned when he fell into an irrigation canal at Bilagalumane in Tirthahalli taluk on Wednesday.
With the drowning of a 22-year-old youth in Ullal late on Wednesday, the rain-related death toll in Dakshina Kannada district has gone up to ten since the revival of the monsoon.
The level of the major rivers such as Sharavathi, Tungabhadra, Varahi, Kumudwati and Dandavati has been increasing following continuous rain. In one week, the water-level in Linganamakki has increased by 24 ft. The Uttara Kannada district administration has warned the people living on the banks of the Kali to move to safe areas as the water-level in different dams built across the Kali is gradually increasing. The people who live in the islands of Kali and Sharavathi are being shifted to safe places.
The inflow into the Tungabhadra reservoir was 43,929 cusecs on Thursday.
In Udupi district, 21 houses were partially damaged and crops destroyed on Thursday.