Hubballi: The Bagalkot district administration is preparing to deal with a possible flood situation with the Krishna river flowing in full spate following the heavy rainfall in neighbouring Maharashtra.
Although the district itself has received a below average monsoon, the people of the Krishna river basin are facing the threat of a flood owing to the deluge in Maharashtra. It is feared the heavy flow of water in the Malaprabha and Ghataprabha rivers may force the evacuation of over 60 villages if the rain continues.
While the Krishna river is flowing in full spate with Koyna, Mahabaleshwar, Sangli and other parts of neighbouring Maharashtra receiving heavy rainfall, the water level in the Almatti reservoir too has reached 514.90 metres as against its capacity to hold 519.6 metres. People living along the Almatti backwaters are already being forced to take a roundabout route or depend on boats to reach their destinations. Although the government had offered to shift the people of villages faced with the threat of submersion by the construction of the Almatti reservoir, they have not moved, leaving them at risk to floods.
Deputy commissioner K Shantaram, who held a meeting with the district officials on measures to be taken in the event of a flood, said an awareness campaign would be launched to persuade people to move to safer places and a control room would be set up to monitor the outflow of dam water. Arrangements would also be made to set up temporary rehabilitation centres for the villagers and livestock in places prone to flooding in Bagalkot, Mudhol and Jamkhandi taluks, he added.
