Heavy rains lash Mangaluru and other parts of Karnataka coast
Coastal regions of Karnataka received heavy downpours and thunderstorms on Wednesday and Thursday which disrupted normal life and inundated roads with rain water.
Coastal Karnataka received heavy rainfall Wednesday and Thursday which led to inundated roads, water entering low-lying areas and buildings and interruptions to daily life. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an 'orange alert' for coastal regions of the state for Thursday and a 'yellow alert' for the rest of the week.
District officials have declared a holiday for pre-university and degree colleges. Students who had already reached schools were allowed to attend class but with necessary precautions, district deputy commissioner K V Rajendra told news agency PTI.
An IMD bulletin also warned fishermen of high waves - between three and 3.5 metres till 11.30 pm - off the Karnataka coast, from Mangalore to Karwar.
While several low-lying areas and streets were flooded making traffic movement impossible, roads were also damaged. Affected areas included Pumpwell, Thokkottu, and Kottara Chowki, among others.
Residents sought help on social media. One user, Deepak Shenoy wrote: “#SOS #help #rain One of the resident family of #Mangaluru as their house critically struck in between rain water surrounded by, connected us for help." Tagging the district administration of the district among other official pages, he gave a contact number.
Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely over coastal and south-interior Karnataka over the next five days, the IMD said.
Udupi district also received rainfall, with areas like Shivapura receiving 189 mm rain, Varnaga getting 183 mm and Hebri recording 265 mm. The met department said these areas recorded the highest rainfall in the state during the last 24 hours.
With heavy rains in Mangaluru, isolated showers also picked up across Kodagu with downpours across the Kaveri Basin. Areas like Sampaje and Galibeedu received precipitation of about 95 mm and 53 mm, respectively, while Surathkal got 120 mm rainfall.
According to a report, the downpour also caused a landslide between Padil and Mangaluru junction. Further details are awaited.