Several parts of North Karnataka along the banks of the River Bhima are reeling under floods due to heavy rainfall in the catchment areas of the river and its tributaries.
Among the districts affected by floods are Kalaburagi, Bidar, Vijayapura and Yadgir, with flood threat also being reported from Belagavi and Bagalkot districts. The floods are being attributed to increased discharge from Ujani and Neera Dams located in Maharashtra.
Flooding is expected to continue in these regions over the next few days as very heavy rainfall is forecast for the catchment areas of these rivers. An alert issued by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) said that Bhima was flowing at extreme flooding levels in Yadgir, Kalaburagi and Bidar districts, and the Kagina River in Kalaburagi was also flowing at that level.
Similarly, the Krishna River in Raichur district, the Doni River in Vijayapura and the Manjira River in Bidar were flowing at severe flooding levels. Apart from this, heavy inflow to the Ghataprabha River has also resulted in a flood threat to areas downstream of the Hidkal dam located in Belagavi district.
Due to floods, several low-lying areas were inundated, prompting local authorities to carry out rescue operations in a few parts of these districts. Road connectivity to some villages in Kalaburagi and Vijayapura districts was cut off due to the overflowing rivers.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who reviewed the situation on Sunday, has instructed deputy commissioners and CEOs of affected districts to initiate relief measures. Preventive steps should also be initiated to prevent loss of lives.
According to KSNDMC data, the North Karnataka region has received above-normal rainfall in the months of August and September. While the excess was 66 per cent in August (195 mm against a normal of 118 mm), it was 32 per cent till September 28 (171 mm against a normal of 130 mm).