Udupi: Heavy Rain Causes Floods, Traffic Snarls along NH 17 near Brahmavar
Report and Pics by Kevin Rodrigues
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (RD/SP)
Udupi, Jul 16: The incessant rains and heavy winds that swept through the taluk on Wednesday night caused floods in Uppoor, Baikady, Nilavar, Barkoor and Mabukula in the district, which lie close to Arabian Sea. The floods of Swarna River and Sita River, has inundated the paddy fields, plantations besides entering the houses along its path. The electricity supply and communication network across the district got snapped owing to break down of transmission grids and trouble shooting in relay towers, since Wednesday July 16 early morning.
The age-old trees located on Mangalore – Mumbai national highway 17 at Uppoor, near here were uprooted on Wednesday morning, causing traffic bottlenecks all along the highway. Several heavy vehicles including passenger buses broke down en-route Kundapur and Katpady.
The regular commuters on inter-city buses had to stay back at home, since the cloudy weather prevailed on Thursday morning. The shops were deserted in city as a few people ventured out of their homes.
The locals say that it has been years now that the 'Punarvasu' rain (which usually starts at the end of June) has been so torrential. In the last 4-5 years, the story has been that it used to rain heavily during June and the first half of July used to quite dry. But this year, the situation has been vice-versa. It was quite humid and dry throughout the month of June. But the rains that started with the ending of 'Adre' and commencement of 'Punarvasu' have not shown any signs of relief so far. It has been the combine deadly factor of heavy rains and speeding gales which have been the ‘destructor-in-chief’ this time around. If some of the elders could remember, it was the same 'Punarvasu' rains that had caused the '1974 floods', which has been considered as one of the most devastating floods in undivided district of Dakshina Kannada after the deluge of 1923.
Now that 'Punarvasu' rain is making way to 'Pushya', people are of the belief that there will be some relief from torrential downpour.
Puttur Report
Puttur: Torrential Rains affect People, Agriculture across Taluk
Report and Pics by Arun Uppinangady
Daijiworld Media Network – Puttur (RD/SP)
Puttur, Jul 16: Heavy winds coupled with torrential rain that has been lashing the undivided Dakshina Kannada (DK) district since the last few weeks, has cast its shadow on the normal lives of the people by damaging property and plantations. The rising flood waters also inundated several low-lying villages across the taluk on Thursday July 16 morning.
Several trees in the interior areas of the taluk like Konalu near Nellyady and at Kodyady here were uprooted on the country roads owing to heavy winds. A boundary wall of a local farmer collapsed to the ground at Gandibagilu, near Koila, here. The water levels reached danger level at Udane hanging bridge, near here that serves as the vital link for the villagers in their daily life.
Although the monsoon had been inconsistent during June, it picked up momentum in early July and maintained it thereafter. The paddy cultivation has faced setbacks owing to the stagnant water in fields, posing the risk of rotting of the seedlings, thus distressing the peasant fraternity. All the agricultural activities relating to farming and plantations have also been adversely affected owing to unceasing rains in DK. The canopy of trees dotting Mangalore – Bangalore national highway 48 at Nellyady and stretch of Shiradi Ghat also pose threat to the vehicular traffic, since the trees can get uprooted at any time, causing traffic disruptions and series of accidents.
Rain Related: