Heavy rain continued to lash southern Maharashtra, Belagavi and surrounding areas for the seventh day on Sunday. However, there have been no reports of deaths of people or cattle till now.
Heavy rain has led to several rivers and streams overflowing, leaving roads, bridges and barrages submerged. Several villages have been cut off from the mainland.
Deputy Commissioner Nitesh Patil has announced a holiday for primary and high schools in Belagavi, Khanapur and Kittur taluks on Monday.
There has been a consistent rise in the water level in the Krishna and its tributaries, Ghataprabha and Malaprabha.
The Deputy Commissioner has, however, told the people that there is no immediate threat of floods in the district. The district administration has set up gruel centres in Karadaga and Barwad villages and more are likely to be set up if it continues to rain.
A team of senior officers, including Mr. Patil, Superintendent of Police Sanjiv Patil, ZP CEO Harshal Boyer and Assistant Commissioner Madhav Gitte, and others visited rain-affected areas on the banks of the Krishna, the Doodhganga and the Vedaganga. The officers interacted with residents in Barwad, Bhivashi, Karadaga, Manjari and Yadur.
Member of Legislative Assembly Shashikala Jolle also visited some areas.
Units of National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in vulnerable villages along the Krishna river course. Officials have been asked to make preparations for stocking food and water supply, medicine and fodder for cattle. Residents of some villages will be relocated to safer places, if needed, the Deputy Commissioner said.
The district administration has placed restrictions on forest treks and visits to waterfalls. Police and Forest Department personnel will enforce this order.
Inflow into the Krishna has gone beyond 1.1 lakh cusecs and this is expected to result in around 10 tmcft of standing water. The inflow into the Ghataprabha is around 30,000 cusecs, Doodhganga and Vedaganga around 25,000 cusecs and the Malaprabha, 13,000 cusecs. The dams over these rivers, however, have less than 20% of their total impounding capacity.
Police are monitoring 85 roads and bridges built across rivers, streams and other waterbodies in the district. Vehicle traffic has been banned on 15 bridges that remain submerged.
Inflow into the Almatti dam was 1.07 lakh cusecs and outflow 6,000 cusecs. Officials say that they intend to impound water as the storage is just 35 tmcft, against the gross storage of 123 tmcft. Inflow in the Hidkal dam was around 30,000 cusecs and the Nayaranpur dam 6,000 cusecs.
Inflow into the Koyna dam in Maharashtra is over 41,000 cusecs, but the outflow is zero, as the dam has less than 20% storage, officials said.
The discharge into the Krishna river at Kallol Barrage was 1,01,742 cusecs, at Hipparagi 95,300 cusecs, Rajapur Barrage 76,750 cusecs, Sadalaga measuring station 23,000 cusecs and at Lolasur, it was 11,000 cusecs.
