State stares at deluge as rains intensify

The monsoon has intensified in the State and many of the rivers are flowing above the danger mark. Bangalore (DHNS):It has been the wettest June in many years at several places. Several roads have been submerged, disrupting traffic. In Shimoga The Tunga, Bhadra, Sharavathi, Varada, Dandavathi and Kumudvathi rivers are overflowing in the district and the dams have recorded heavy inflows. The level in the Linganamakki reservoir rose by four feet in the last 24 hours. It stood at 1,774.1 feet on Wednesday (maximum 1,819 feet). The Mandagadde bird sanctuary has been flooded by the rising water of the Tunga river. National Highway-13, connecting Shimoga and Mangalore, has been inundated. Schools and colleges remained closed in Teerthahalli, Hosanagar, Shikaripur and Sagar taluks on Wednesday. Vehicular movement between Shimoga and Teerthahalli was suspended as the road near Mandagadde was inundated. Traffic on the Teerthahalli-Agumbe road too was disrupted. Movement of vehicles on the Hosanagar-Teerthahalli road was disrupted as River Sharavathi was flowing over the Billodi bridge due to incessant rain. Four trees were uprooted on National Highway-206 at Adukatta Cross near Jog Falls in Sagar taluk, disrupting vehicular movement. The police and forest department staff rushed to the spot and cleared the road for traffic. In Belgaum The road link between Karnataka and Goa via Anmod Ghat (national highway-4A) in Khanapur taluk got snapped due to landslides caused by heavy rain in the early hours of Wednesday. There were landslides between Anmod and Mollem, about 10 km from the Anmod excise checkpost in Goa. Landslides also resulted in uprooting of trees. Hundreds of vehicles plying between Goa and the State via Anmod Ghat were stranded on both sides for over 10 hours, till the road was cleared in the evening. The narrow bridge across River Vedganga near Sidnal village in Chikodi taluk was was- hed away due to heavy water current. The bridge was providing connectivity to Sidnal, Hunnargi and othervillages. In coastal districts Dakshina Kannada and Udupi received heavy showers on Wednesday. Belthangady recorded the highest of 141.2 mm, while it was 91.5 mm in Bantwal. The rivers in Chikmagalur district are flowing at danger mark, inundating roads. Schools and colleges had declared a holiday. Record rainfall It has been the wettest monsoon so far for the month of June in Kodagu district this year. The rainfall recorded for the month at the Bhagamandala rain gauge is 1,681.4 mm and it is the highest since 2001. The rainwater from the district flows into the Kabini reservoir in Mysore district and further, the KRS reservoir in Mandya district. Kodagu district as a whole has recorded 718.5 mm in June, the second highest in the last 13 years. On Wednesday (July 3), there was heavy rainfall in the district. Normal life has been thrown out of gear as incessant rain lashed Sirsi taluk from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon. The rainfall recorded was 254 mm in a span of 24 hours, a record this season. Haveri district recorded 220.2 mm of rain on a single day on Wednesday. There have been incessant rains in the last couple of days.