Heavy rain batters Bangalore

Heavy rain batters Bangalore
Bangalore:Aug 21, DHNS:

Heavy rain lashed Bangalore and other parts of Karnataka on Saturday afternoon, leaving a trail of death and destruction.

An autorickshaw driver was killed when a tree came crashing down on his vehicle at Shanthinagar in the City. A youth was washed away in Bellary district.

The heavy showers threw traffic out of gear with office-goers bearing the brunt.
According to the police, Srinivas, 38, a resident of Srirampura was passing through Nanjappa Circle at Shanthinagar when a huge tree on the premises of an under-construction apartment fell on him. There was no passenger in the vehicle.

Water-logging was reported from Ulsoor, Domlur, Kodihalli, Banashankari third stage, Marathahalli, K R Pura, Vengayyana Kere and Kengeri Satellite Town. The two-hour downpour uprooted many trees.

The Meteorological Department recorded 37.2 mm of rainfall in two hours. The City weather is expected to remain cloudy. Rain and thunder showers are likely in the next 24 hours, the department said.

After a brief lull, the monsoon revisited the State with a vengeance on Saturday claiming one life and inundating vast tracts of land. A person identified as Gonal Basavaraj (25) was washed away as a tank breached in the Ankanamanalu village of Sandur taluk in Bellary district. Two others had a providential escape. Basavaraj’s body was found in a grape plantation on the outskirts of the village. Maraiah and Hanumanthappa escaped the deluge by taking shelter on a tree branch.

Tank breach
The tank sprawling over 1,500 acres breached on Saturday morning following heavy rain in Sandur and Kudligi taluks. Choranur village registered 102 mm of rainfall. The water from the breached tank reached the Narihalla reservoir and 22,000 cusecs was released from the reservoir without any prior intimation.

A flood-like situation ensued till noon in the villages located downstream. Hundreds of houses were marooned and standing crops in thousands of acres were inundated. Four people engaged in agricultural operation in Kurekuppa took perched themselves on the roof of a hut. They sent SOS through their cellphones. However, police and emergency services personnel were unable to rescue them. Ultimately, an IAF helicopter was requisitioned and all the four were relocated to Jindal airport. “The stone pillars of the hut saved our lives,” they said.

Three lorries were washed away by flood waters in Nandihalli village. The vehicles were traced later. More than 40 electric poles were uprooted, disrupting power supply. Ministers Sriramulu and Karunakara Reddy conducted an aerial survey of the affected villages.

Incessant rain brought down more than 20 houses in the Halebeed taluk of Hassan district. Heavy rain pounded the taluk for about four hours in the evening.
Water gushed into houses in the low-lying areas. Several acres of farm land was inundated. Mysore experienced showers on Friday night.

The monsoon picked up pace in Shimoga district with widespread rain in Bhadravathi, Shikaripura, Theerthahalli, Agumbe and Hosnagar. The water level at the Linganamakki reservoir went up to 1,795.15 feet as against the full reservoir level of 1,819 feet, with an inflow of 6,846 cusecs. The Bhadra reservoir had 169.6 feet of water with 6,250 cusecs inflow.

The water level in the Triveni Sangama surged following heavy rain at Bhagamandala. Madikeri, too, witnessed heavy showers for about an hour in the noon. Parts of Kodagu experienced rain on Saturday. Vehicular movement on Bababudangiri road in Chikmagalur has come to a standstill due to landslide.

Boulders have blocked the road near Kavikalgundi snapping the road link between Kemmannugundi and Dattatreya Peetha. Villages in the vicinity remained cut off as telephone cables have been damaged. Heavy rain pummelled Subrahmanya over the last two days. Two persons were injured and a house was damaged when lightning struck a house at Kallaje.

A hillock caved in on the Sullia-Subrahmanya road. The Mettinadka bridge was submerged following a rise in the water level of the Gowri Gundi river.
Mangalore experienced drizzle on Saturday evening.