Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (MS)

Mangaluru, Aug 11: The rivers in the district are flowing above the danger level and have made the people of the Dakshina Kannada district to remember the 1974 great deluge, in which the district suffered huge losses.

Two people have died because of the heavy rains in the district. Janardhan (30), a resident of Jidekallu in Puttur taluk was drowned in Bedrala rivulet on Saturday, August 10. It is suspected that he must have slipped and fallen into it. He was working in agricultural farm at Ragidakumeru and it is said that while returning from work in the evening he must have slipped and fallen into the rivulet. Police and the fire service personnel are searching for his body.

Netravati river in full flow

Abdul Razak (45), a resident of Guntebagilu in Uppinangady, who was working as an assistant in the Valachil central Juma Masjid on the outskirts of the city of Mangaluru died on Saturday, when he fell into the trench, which was flowing with flood water. He was discharging duties as a Moizzin at Valachil Mosque. He was going to the Mosque at 8.30 am and slipped into the trench due to the heavy wind. Within seconds, people who were nearby, searched for him but he had died by then.

Along with the main rivers of Netravati and Kumaradhara, other tributaries in the district are flowing above their usual mark and have caused widespread damage. Netravati and Kumaradhara have crossed the danger level. Netravati river touched 11.06 meter at Thumbay on Saturday. This is three meters above the danger level. The area near the river is completely flooded. Residents of the locality are shifted to safer places.

In Uppinanagady, Netravati river had reached 31 meters. The danger level is 26.5 meters at this point. Because of this the water gushed onto the highway at many places. However, the level came down to 8.5 meters and 26.5 meter in Thumbay and Uppinangady respectively.

If the water would have accumulated another four feet in the Netravati river, it would have reached the great deluge that occurred on July 25 of 1974 as per the residents of Panemanagaluru. In the 1974 deluge, water had gone above the Panemangaluru bridge to a height of one feet. The highways were submerged under six feet of water. Thousands of people had lost their houses and property in 1974. It is said that after two decades, this kind of surge is seen in the Netravati river.

Coastal area, Western Ghats and plateau regions are badly affected by flood and landslides. The concerned officials, NDRF, Home Guard personnel and fire service people are working on war footage speed to help the victims. People representatives are also with the officials to listen to the woes of the affected people.