The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘red alert’ for the next five days for coastal Karnataka. With the monsoon’s early onset in India, Karnataka has witnessed heavy rainfall over the last three days. The incessant rains have caused landslides, waterlogging, and traffic disruptions across several districts, prompting authorities to deploy disaster response teams.
Red Alert For Heavy Rainfall In Coastal Karnataka
According to The Times of India, an advancing southwest monsoon is triggering heavy rainfall and gusty winds in coastal Karnataka. Keeping this in mind, IMD has issued a five-day ‘red alert’ in six districts. This includes Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, and the Malnad districts of Shivamogga, Kodagu, and Chikkamagaluru. Schools, all government and private colleges, and anganwadis in these areas have also been shut down for now.
An ‘orange alert’ has also been issued in another six districts–Belagavi, Dharwad, Chamarajanagar, Mysuru, Hassan, and Mandya. In an unfortunate incident, a three-year-old girl died in a wall-collapse incident in Belagavi on Monday after another spell of heavy rainfall. In another rainfall-related accident in Karnataka, a woman was seriously injured after a tree fell on her house in Chikkamagaluru.
Also Read: Mumbai Sees Up To 200 mm Rain; Yellow Alert Issued As City Gets Its Earliest Monsoon Onset In 70 Yrs
Fear Of Floods & Waterlogging
On Monday, Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada districts reported incidents of landslips. Water bodies in Belthangady reported a sharp uptick in water levels. This caused authorities to fear flooding in low-lying areas. They have deployed one team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Puttur and two State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams in Mangaluru and Subrahmanya.
In Mangaluru city, rainfall crossed 150 mm in several areas. Sullia’s Bellare recorded the highest at 200.5 mm. Furthermore, Sarapady in Bantwal and Belandur in Puttur recorded 190 mm rainfall. Waterlogging was reported in these areas with drains overflowing and traffic snarling.
According to IMD’s latest forecast, extremely heavy rainfall exceeding 20cm is expected in coastal Karnataka in the next 24 hours.
What is the weather like in your city? Let us know in the comments.
Cover Image Courtesy: X/@navin_ankampali
For more such snackable content, interesting discoveries and the latest updates on food, travel and experiences in your city, download the Curly Tales App. Download HERE.