Swollen Tungabhadra submerges Hampi ruins; Krishna, tributaries clock good inflows

After a week-long torrential downpour, the coastal districts of the state had a quiet day on Wednesday. However, Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga districts continued to experience heavy showers, coupled with cold winds.

While coastal districts and Malnad are struggling to deal with damage caused by torrential rain, Tungabhadra and Kaveri river basins are bracing for imminent floods.

The flood situation in Tungabhadra is already grim. As much as 1,15,344 cusec water was released into the river from TB dam on Wednesday, prompting the authorities to sound flood alert downstream. Several of Vijayanagara monuments in Hampi have gone under floodwaters. Purandara Mantapa, Vijayanagara-era foot bridge, Chakratheertha and bathing ghat are fully submerged.

Floodwaters have reached the premises of Rama-Laxmana temple. Road to Nava Brindavana has been cut off. The Krishnadevaraya samadhi in Anegondi has been completely submerged.

With the Tungabhadra river flowing a few inches below the bridge between Gangavathi and Kampli, authorities have banned vehicular movement on the bridge. Vehicles on the route are diverted to the new Bukkasagar-Kadebagilu bridge.

Acres of paddy, banana and sugarcane crops have been flooded. The dam, with a maximum storage capacity of 105.78 tmcft is just five tmcft short of reaching its full capacity.

Bennetora and Mullamari reservoirs in Kalaburagi district are fast filling up due to incessant rain in their catchments in Kalyana Karnataka.

Kalaburagi and Bidar have districts been witnessing sharp showers for the past few days and more rains are predicted in the region till July 17.

Meanwhile, Krishna and its tributaries Vedganga, Doodhganga, Malaprabha, Ghataprabha are clocking good inflows, thanks to copious rain in Konkan area and heavy outflows from Maharashtra dams.

As many as nine bridges across the river in Nippani, Chikkodi and Gokak taluks have gone under water.

The water level in Malaprabha reservoir in Navilutheertha and Ghataprabha dam in Hidkal have gone up considerably.

Belagavi Deputy Commissioner Nitesh Patil, however, allayed flood fears saying that the region will witness floods only if the inflow crosses 2.9 lakh cusec.

On Wednesday, 1.12 lakh cusec flowed into the Krishna at Kallol barrage.

Youth drowns in Kaveri

A youth was swept away in the swollen Kaveri river in separate incidents on Wednesday.

Ashok, a resident of Yelahanka in Bengaluru, who was in Srirangapatna along with his family members, slipped into the river while washing his hands. Search operations are underway. Villages and farmland on either side of the river are facing flood fear in Kollegal taluk.

The district administration has sounded alert in the villages. With the river in spate, boating has been banned in Hogenakal.