Amid heavy rains, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert to six coastal districts in Karnataka while orange alert has been issued in another six districts. The districts where red alert has been issued include Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, and the Malnad districts of Shivamogga, Kodagu, and Chikkamagaluru, while an orange alert is in place for Belagavi, Dharwad, Chamarajanagar, Mysuru, Hassan, and Mandya."
Heavy monsoon rains disrupted normal life in Dakshina Kannada district, prompting authorities to issue a red alert and deploy disaster response teams. The IMD said the red alert for coastal Karnataka will remain in force for the next five days.
As the IMD issued a red alert in Kodagu in Karnataka, authorities have declared a holiday for anganwadis and colleges in the district on May 26 and 27.
Moreover, Kodagu University Vice-Chancellor Dr Ashok Sangappa Alur ordered closure of all government and private colleges under the university’s jurisdiction on May 26 and 27.
The Mysuru district administration also ordered closure of anganwadis in its jurisdiction in May 26.
Apart from this, the Chikkamagaluru district administration has declared a holiday for anganwadi centres in Chikkamagaluru, Mudigere, Kalasa, N.R. Pura and Koppa taluks from May 26 to 28, to avoid any untoward incident during heavy rains.
Several parts of Mangaluru city reported waterlogging and traffic snarls as the drainage systems failed to cope with the downpour.
District in-charge Minister for Dakshina Kannada, Dinesh Gundu Rao directed local authorities to act promptly in addressing rain-related disruptions across the region to minimise public inconvenience.
According to officials, minor incidents of landslides were reported from hilly regions across the district.
Major incidents of waterlogging were reported from Kottara junction, Malemar, Mahaveera circle in Mangaluru city, while smaller inundation have been reported from Urva, Matadakani, Kudroli, Kodialbail(west) in the city.
Thokkuttu, Goodinabali, Marakada, Panamburu and adjoining places were also waterlogged.
The IMD has forecast continued heavy rain over the next 48 hours across the coastal region. According to the district administration, rainfall figures over the past 24 hours crossed 150 mm in multiple areas, with Sullia's Bellare recording the highest at 200.5 mm, followed by Bantwal's Sarapady and Puttur's Belandur with 190 mm each.
In view of the worsening conditions, one team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been stationed in Puttur, while two State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams have been deployed in Mangaluru and Subrahmanya.
