M’luru/Udupi: Phalguni and Shambhavi rivers in spate, houses inundated in Polali, Mundkur

PTI, Aug 1, 2024, 11:26 AM IST

Two major rivers in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts are in spate following torrential rains in the past two days, officials said on Thursday.

The Phalguni river in Dakshina Kannada and Shambhavi in Udupi district were overflowing in the wake of heavy rains, they said.

As a result of the heavy to very heavy rainfall, a 56-year-old woman died after her house partially collapsed in Nellikaru village in Udupi district, the officials said.

According to Prashanth Jain, secretary of Nellikaru Village panchayat, the woman was alone in her house when a wall collapsed. Her three children were engaged in covering the leaking roof of the house with a tarpaulin sheet, but a sudden gush of water broke down the wall. She was, however, rescued from the rubble and taken to a hospital but was declared brought dead by the hospital authorities in the wee hours of Thursday.

The water level in the Phalguni river recorded a sudden rise early on August 1 and saw at least eight houses in Kadapa and Kariya villages flooded. The river water entered about eight houses of Ammunje village near Polali. All the families are being rescued with the help of the taluk administration and fire brigade personnel as per the directions of Tehsildar Archana Bhatt.

Archana Bhat said there were heaps of garbage floating on the water that had hindered rescue operations.

In addition, the Mangaluru Electric Supply Company has also deployed additional people to clear the area of fallen electric poles and cables.

In Udupi district, it has been raining continuously for the past 72 hours. In Karkala taluk on Wednesday (June 31) there was heavy rain and many rivers including the Shambavi were overflowing.

During the 24 hours ending 8.30 am on Thursday, Renjala of Karkala taluk in the foothills of the Western Ghats received a total of 319.5 mm rain, while it was 289.5 mm in Sanur in Karkala, 278.5 mm in Madamakki in Kundapur, 269 mm in Shirtadi.

The Shambhavi River, flowing from Sanur in Karkala to Nitte, Bola, and Mundkur villages, has faced unprecedented floods in recent years. Many houses, shops and home-industries have been flooded.

The houses of Mundkur gram panchayat members Ashok Shetty, Suresh Shetty and Bhaskara Shetty were destroyed. More than a thousand coconut trees have been uprooted, according to Panchayat officials.

Notably, according to the local residents, the Kalladi Nagabana in the Doddamane area of Mundkur has also been submerged, a sight not seen in many years.