Kodagu district is experiencing incessant rains with ocassional breaks since the last few days indicating that the south west monsoon was gaining vigour.
Kodagu received 50.01 mm of rainfall for the 24 hour period ending 8.30 a.m. on Saturday against a normal of 33.6 mm. The rainfall was uniform and widespread across the district with significantly heavy rainfall in the taluks.
Madikeri taluk received 100.25 mm of rainfall during the same period while Virajpet taluk recorded 25.87 mm and Somwarpet received 32.90 mm. At the hobli level Bhagamandala and surrounding regions which constitutes the catchment area of the Cauvery, received 109 mm while Sampaji received 148 mm. Srimangala received 52.20 mm of rains and Madikeri kasaba recorded 73.80 mm while Napoklu recorded 70.20 mm of rainfall.
There have been incidents of roads being blocked by uprooted trees and telephone poles but they have been cleared by the authorities. Couple of trees were found uprooted near the Jodupala-Mangaluru highway and were cleared on Saturday. Heavy winds and gale had uprooted trees and blocked the Madikeri-Bhagamandala road neat Bettageribakka and it was cleared by the Forest Department staff from Madikeri range office, said the authorities.
Similarly, Madikeri-Bhagamandala-Karike road was blocked due to a landslip and it was cleared to pave way for traffic movement.
According to data released by the Kodagu district administration, the district has received 779.73 mm of rainfall since January as on date whereas Kodagu had received 946.74 mm of rainfall during the same period last year. At the taluk levels, Madikeri has received a cumulative rainfall of 1118.9 mm of rains since January so far as against 1392.02 mm during the same period last year. Virajpet has received 661.71 mm of rains as against 822.24 mm of rains recorded during the same period last year. The scenario is similar in Sowarpet which has received 558.57 mm of rains so far this year against 625.96 mm of rains received during the same period last year.
Notwithstanding the rains since the last few days, the monsoon played truant during June with Kodagu receiving below normal rains, according to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC). The cumulative rainfall in the district during June 2022 was 316.4 mm which is 47 per cent below normal for the month.
Similarly, Chikkamagaluru which is the main catchment for Hemavathi, a major tributary of the Cauvery, has also recorded deficit rains during June. The district recorded 231 mm of rainfall which is 37 per cent below normal.
