Rain and flood wreak havoc in different parts of Karnataka

Like the state capital Bengaluru, torrential rains have caused havoc in different parts of Karnataka, with overflowing rivulets and floods affecting normal life, and causing damage to life and properties.

Acres of agricultural land, number of houses, several bridges, kilometres of roads are either washed away or inundated by flood water in several parts of north and south interior Karnataka.

There are reports about a farmer in Bagalkote district being washed away in flooded Malaprabha river and a woman losing her life due to a wall collapse in Ballari district.

Livestock deaths have also been reported from several areas.

Parts of districts like Dharwad, Chitradurga, Vijayapura, Ballari, Haveri, Vijayanagara, Chitradurga, Hassan, and districts of Mysuru region like Kodagu, Chikkaballapura, Kolar, Chamarajanagara and Mysuru have also been hit by torrential rains, and several rivers in these districts are overflowing causing damage to crops and houses.

Meanwhile, the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) headed by Home Ministry's Joint Secretary Ashish Kumar, which is visiting Karnataka to take stock of the rain and flood havoc in the state, is touring various districts.

Earlier on Wednesday, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted continuous and heavy rainfall in Bengaluru for the next five days. IMD issued a red alert and asked the citizens to prepare for more floods as the water level is likely to increase. Both urban and rural areas of Bengaluru will be affected by the rains, the weatherman warned.

“We have issued a red alert for the region. Some pockets may get more than 20 mm of rainfall in an hour,” a senior India Meteorological Department (IMD) official told Reuters. According to the IMD data, Bangalore Urban district received 43.1 mm of rain on Tuesday, 585 percent more than average.