Heavy rains lash coastal Karnataka, IMD issues Orange alert

The IMD also warned people to avoid areas which are prone to waterlogging and asked them to stay away from vulnerable structures.

Heavy rains lashed parts of coastal Karnataka on Saturday night and the spell is likely to continue for next 24 hours, informed Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC). The north Interior regions of Karnataka are also likely to receive heavy rains.

Indian Meteorological Department issued an Orange alert on Saturday evening to coastal Karnataka.

According to KSNDMC, Neere in Udupi district received 351mm of rainfall on Saturday night, followed by Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada and Chikkamangaluru districts. All the Maland districts saw rainfall above 250 mm on Saturday night.

Meanwhile the Indian Meteorological Department issued an Orange alert on Saturday evening to coastal Karnataka and predicted a heavy rainfall. “Coastal Karnataka likley to get heavy to very heavy rainfall (115.6 to 204.4 mm) on July 22 and 23,” read an announcement by the met department.

The IMD also warned people to avoid areas which are prone to waterlogging and asked them to stay away from vulnerable structures which might collapse due to incessant rains. The heavy rainfall in Southern Maharashtra has led to a continuous increase in the water levels of small rivers in north Karnataka. Due to the rising water levels of the Ghataprabha River, the Shingalapur-Gokak bridge has been submerged to about a foot, officials said.

In north Karnataka, Khanapur and Belagavi taluks are also experiencing regular rains and the inflow to Ghataprabha and Markandeya rivers increased, resulting in a 5-foot rise in the water level of Hidkal reservoir in just one day.