MADIKERI: As monsoon rain continues to wreak havoc in Karnataka, water from the Cauvery river reached some low-lying areas in Kushalnagar of Kodagu district and raising alarm among the residents, officials said on Tuesday.
According to district officials, heavy rain battered the district as a result of which the Cauvery river swelled and entered some of the low-lying areas, causing alarm among the locals.
The heavy rainfall led to a significant rise in water inflow at the Harangi reservoir in Kushalnagar. Consequently, the reservoir gates were opened to release a substantial volume of about 30,000 cusecs of water. After 30,000 cusecs of water were released into the river from the Harangi reservoir, water entered Kushalanagar city area.
As a precautionary measure, all residents living downstream and alongside the river were advised by the district administration to relocate to safer areas, said officials.
District authority officials visited the place as water seeped into residences and said that they had advised people to move to safer places as there was fear of water entering the low-lying areas.
The Harangi Dam is located near Hudgur village in Kushalnagar taluk. The masonry dam is built across the river Harangi, a tributary of the Kaveri. The dam is located about 9 km away from the heart of Kushalnagar town.
On Monday, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivkumar visited the warroom of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to take stock of the rain situation around Bengaluru.
Notably, all schools in five taluks of Chikkamagalur district were closed on Monday amid the prediction of heavy rains in the region. Deputy Commissioner Meena Nagaraj said on Sunday, “Holiday is announced for schools in five taluks of Chikkamagalur district (NR Pura, Mudigere, Sringeri, Chikkamagalur, Koppa) in view of heavy rain in the region”.
Earlier, heavy rains lashed parts of coastal Karnataka on Saturday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an Orange alert on Saturday evening for coastal Karnataka and predicted heavy rainfall in the region.
The MeT department has also issued a warning to the people living in coastal Karnataka region to avoid areas that are prone to waterlogging and asked them to stay away from vulnerable structures which might collapse due to incessant rains. (ANI)