Rain pounded several parts of South Karnataka, causing damage to crops and inundating homes. There were reports of heavy rain from parts of North Karnataka too, particularly Dharwad district.
The bund of KRS Right Bank Canal that breached at 15 km in Srirangapatna taluk in Mandya district inundating fields in the vicinity, which was eventually repaired. The breach, which was noticed at Hosa Anandur after Sunday’s heavy rain, is said to have damaged standing crops in several acres of land and the exact loss is being estimated by the authorities concerned.
Sources in the Irrigation Department said heavy rain caused the breach but there was no damage to the concrete wall of the canal, which was overflowing as surplus water from breached lakes near Belagola and villages in Mysuru taluk (adjoining Srirangapatna taluk) entered the canal. No water was released into the canal from the dam, said sources. Engineers from the Cauvery Neeravari Nigama visited the fields.
Farmer rescued
Meanwhile, in a 10-hour long operation, a farmer, who had climbed a coconut tree to save himself from being washed away in floods at Kannegala village in Chamarajanagar district, was rescued and brought to safety early on Tuesday.
Tahsildar Basavaraj, DySP Priyadarshini Sanekoppa, fire officer Shivajirao Pawar, and a few other officers and staff were involved in the rescue, besides local youth.
Ramaswamy Nayak, 62, had gone to his farm on Monday morning. While returning, he got stuck in the floods following heavy rains and climbed a tree to save himself from being washed away in the fast-flowing water. He had no mobile phone to inform his family about his situation.
By 4.30 p.m., the Fire and Emergency Services Department got the news and rushed to the spot. However, due to the water force and presence of thorny bushes, the operation was not easy and the exercise attempted using boats was unsuccessful.
Around 10 p.m., the tahsildar, the DySP, Sub-Inspector Tajuddin and others rushed to the spot with life jackets and expert swimmers to rescue the farmer. The officials went on boat to rescue the farmer. The boat got stuck and they could not reach the spot. Even the earthmover and two tractors were not able to reach the farmer.
The rescue team then managed to get ropes and poles which were used to reach the tree where the farmer had taken shelter. Tying the rope to his waist, the team brought him to safety around 3 a.m.
In Dharwad
Heavy rain on Monday night resulted in at least two taluks of Dharwad in North Karnataka being affected severely where the Benne Halla and the Tuppari Halla are in spate forcing the district administration to declare holidays for schools and colleges for a day in the two taluks on Tuesday.
The downpour caused inundation in Annigeri town, flooding in Shiraguppi, Kiresur, Ingalahalli and other villages due to streams being in spate.
The downpour caused damage to houses, standing crops and damaged roads badly. In two places, road connectivity has been severed due to roads caving in because of floods.
Due to a spate in the Benne Halla, the approach road to a bridge near Basapur on Annigeri-Navalgund Road has caved in forcing closure of the road for traffic. Another road connecting Navalgund and Ron has caved in near Shalavadi village severing connectivity between Navalgund and Shalavadi.
Protests
The famous Amrutheshwar Temple in Annigeri town is inundated, along with several localities in the town. Seeking a permanent solution, residents of the town, led by the former MLA N.H. Konaraddi and Congress leader Vinod Asuti and others, staged a road block in Annigeri for an hour.
Central team visit
Central team will be in the State to assess rain-related damages to crops, infrastructure, and houses. The damage to the city infrastructure would be discussed with the team, said Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
