Belagavi limps back to normalcy

Hubballi: After a heavy pounding over the past one week which claimed as many as 15 lives in the district, Belagavi is slowly returning to normal with the water flow in the rivers gradually declining.

The water release from reservoirs in Maharashtra into the Krishna river which was a major reason for the flooding, has reduced to 2.88 lakh cusecs. Rainfall has also come down in the neighbouring state giving a respite to people in  Belagavi where seven overflowing  rivers had caused havoc. The inflow into Almatti dam fell to 5,38,354 cusecs on Thursday and officials released more than this quantum of water into the Krishna. Explaining the flood damage, Deputy Commissioner S.B. Bommanahalli said that 7,190 houses were fully wrecked and 11,832 houses have partially collapsed in Belagavi. As many as 377 villages are affected by the floods with 4.14 lakh people bearing the brunt. Meanwhile, a farmer committed suicide because of crop loss in Maganur village of Ramdurg taluk. The deceased was identified as Laxman Thyapi (32). He had grown sugarcane by taking a loan from a private money lender but the standing crop was inundated in the flood waters of Malaprabha river.