Tungabhadra reservoir is full to the brim following heavy rain in its catchments in Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru districts.
Credit: DH Photo
Relentless rain in the Konkon belt of Maharashtra and heavy discharge of water from dams and barrages of upstream Krishna has worsened the flood situation in Belagavi, Bagalkot and Yadgir districts.
River Krishna and its tributaries - Doodhganga and Vedganga - are flowing above the danger mark in Chikkodi sub-division, where over 20 bridges have already submerged. With bridges going under floodwaters, Ugar Khurd-Kuduchi, Jamkhandi-Miraj and Sadalga-Bhorgaon roads have been closed for traffic.
With a huge volume of water flowing into Krishna, the authorities, as a precautionary measure, released a whopping 2.25 lakh cusec from Almatti reservoir on Wednesday evening. The dam, on July 24, recorded an inflow of 1.78 lakh cusec, which is expected to go further up in next few days.
Almost the same amount of water is being released from Narayanpur dam downstream. The Sheelahalli bridge, a vital road link between Raichur and Yadgir, has been submerged.
The Tungabhadra dam is just 7 tmcft short of reaching its full capacity (105 tmcft). The reservoir is expected to reach its FRL on Thursday. On Wednesday over 18,000 cusec was let out of the dam through 10 crest gates.
Meanwhile, floodwaters in Varada has started receding. Haveri Deputy Commissioner Vijay Mahantesh Danammanavar told DH that the Varada river floods have damaged crops on 1,255 hectares in the district.
Down south, the Cauvery Neeravari Nigam has issued a flood warning following the resumption of rain in the basin. Hemavathi dam in Hassan is just one feet shy of reaching its full capacity. On Wednesday, 22,500 cusec of water was released downstream and the canals.