Mysuru: The downpour showed no sign of a let-up in Kodagu district, claiming two more lives, and more landslides in the coffee land on Saturday.
The death toll increased to 8 with today’s deaths even as more than 325 people were rescued and relocated to relief camps in Kodagu.
Civil defence volunteers led by IGP (home guards and civil defence), D Roopa Moudgil, rescued 128 people including three senior citizens at Kaalur and Devsur villages while another team of fire and emergency services personnel rescued 120 people from Baalibudu. Personnel of the Indian army walked 13 km and rescued 30 people including a 92 year old citizen at Mukkudlu. NDRF team has rescued 77 people from Jodupaala.
Meanwhile, scores of people continue to be stranded in several villages including Makkandur, Mukkodlu, Kaaluru and Devarsuru. As many as over 210 people were stranded at Mukkudlu alone and have been accommodated by ZP member Shanthayendra Ravi in Mukkudlu and they are yet to be relocated to relief centres.
A total of 948 personnel from NDRF, SDRF, Indian Army, Indian Navy, Civil defence, NCC, Home guards are in place with rafts boats and other rescue equipments. . A M 17 chopper of the Indian Air Force is also in place at Harangi.
So far as per assessement by revenue department, 845 houses have collapsed and 773 are partially damaged in Kodagu.
Kodagu has recorded an average of 67.89mm of rainfall in 24 hours between Friday and Saturday.
Kodagu district minister Mr Sa Ra Mahesh too assessed the situation along with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy besides Union minister D V Sadanand Gowda, Mr Pratap Simha, MP, and others.
In addition rain in catchment areas including Kodagu resulted in reservoirs in basin continuing to receive heavy inflow and released excess outflow, flooding several acres of agricultural land and houses at several villages on the banks of the river in Periyapatna, K R Nagar, Nanjangud, T Narasipur and H D Kote taluks. With heavy rains at Wyanad, Kabini received, 80,032 cusecs and released 79,375 cusecs. “We have not seen such huge inflow so far,” remarked an engineer at Kabini. KRS received, 1,33,279 cusecs and released 123472 cusecs, Harangi received 42603 cusecs and 47110 cusecs, Hemavathi received 31,504 cusecs and released 36,700 cusecs.
Movement of traffic from Mysuru to Kerala, Ooty and Chamarajnagar was halted at Nanjangud bridge on NH 766 on Saturday too, and vehicles from Nanjangud diverted to Mysuru via Hullalli and vehicles from Mysuru are being diverted via Adakanahalli. Hemmige bridge in TNarsipura taluk connecting Talakadu, Malavalli and other places have been completely blocked.
