Massive rains trigger landslides in Karnataka\'s Kodagu district

Mysuru: Heavy rains continued to create massive floods and landslides in Kodagu, affecting normal life and road connectivity on Friday too. There have been landslides at more than 30 places in the past three days according to Kodagu DC Annies Kanmani Joy.

Due to continuous rains and landslides, the NDRF team could not take up operations to trace five missing people who are suspected to be stuck under the debris of their house, which collapsed due to landslides on Thursday at Brahamagiri Hills in Talacauvery.

Kodagu district minister V Somanna, who reached Talacauvery via boat from Bagamandala along with rescue team to assess the situation, said, "Since the triveni sangama (the confluence of Cauvery, Kannika and Sujyothi) has flooded , it has hampered connectivity between Bagamandala and Talacauvery. So the NDRF teams have not been able to carry machines to carry out operations to trace five people who have gone missing. If the rains subside, the NDRF team will take up operations to trace those five people missing on Saturday morning," he said.

Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha, who also accompanied minister Somanna to Talacauvery, urged the state government to allot special package in the budget for Kodagu.

Chief priest of Talacauvery temple, 80 year old Narayan Achar, his wife Shantha, his brother 86 year old Anandatheerthawamy, assistant priests, Pavan and Ravikiran are the ones missing. Forty cows are also stuck under debris of landslides.  

Twenty other families at Bagamandala are being moved to relief centre. People at landslide and flood prone Aiyyappa Hills, Nehru Nagar and other unsafe places are being moved to relief centres.  

There were landslides at Gaalibeedi Road, Mangaluru Road, Madikeri-Siddapura Road and other places in Kodagu. Kodagu recorded 180.74 mm of rainfall between 8am on Thursday and 8am on Friday.

All the families being moved to relief centres will be subjected to rapid antigen testing for COVID-19, before they are admitted to relief centres. Kodagu recorded 19 new COVID-19 cases and one death on Friday. So far, Kodagu has reported 639 COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths.

Meanwhile, due to heavy rains in Kodagu, Harangi reservoir received inflow of 9744 cusecs. On the other hand, excess outflow of 1,200 cusecs from the reservoir led to inflow of 53,904 cusecs at Krishna Raja Sagar dam in Mandya district. A flood alert was issued at the downstreams of Krishna Raja Sagar, as the reservoir level touched 113.85 feet as against its capacity 124.80 feet. Authorities are now likely to release 30,000 to 50,000 cusecs water to Cauvery river leading to Tamil Nadu.