Hubballi: Flood situation remained grim in North Karnataka on Monday due to heavy rainfall in catchment areas of Krishna river and its tributeries.
Release of more than 40,000 cesecs water from Koyna dam in Maharashtra due to torrential rains in the neighboring State has worsned the situation, prompting the officials to shift people living in downstream villages. Thousands of villages were submerged and several people had died in similar flood last year.
The outflow from the Almatti dam in Vijayapur district is more than 2,30,000 cusecs as Krishna river is in full spate. Hundreds of bridges are already submerged in border district of Belagavi, Gadag, Bagalkot and Raichur due to incessant rain since last three days in the region.
Almatti dam has total storage capacity of 123 tmc and inflow is expected to cross more than 3 lakh cusecs if rain continued in the region after release of water from Maharashtra. This has raised panic among the people living on the river banks in Mudhol and Jamkhandi taluk in Bagalkot district. The farmer leaders claimed that flow of one lakh cusecs from Koyna dam may increase the inflow up to 4 lakh cusecs in Almatti reservoir.
This will jeopardize the lives of people in many villages of upper riparian areas of Hipparagi dam in Bagalkot and Narayanpur reservoir of Yadgir district. The backwaters of the dam may enter surrounding Sangamanath temple of famous pilgrimage centre of Kudal Sangam, the confluence of three rivers- Krishna, Malaprabha and Ghataprabha.
Flood threat will enhance in upper riparian places of Hipparagi and Narayanpur reservoir if there is more rainfall in the basin of Krishna river tributaries including Vedaganga, Doodhganga.
Officials of both Karnataka and Maharashtra governments have held meeting to discuss about release of water from Koyna dam in the neighboring State. The also held discussion about the areas that will be flooded after water release and precautionary measures to be taken to evacuate the villagers living in the Krishna river basin.
Release of water from Navilutheertha dam in Belagavi district has caused flood threat in more than 40 villages in Gadag and Bagalkot districts. There is inflow of 26,000 cusecs and 16,000 cusecs outflow from the reservoir.
The standing crops are submerged in the flood water due to release of more water from Almatti dam. Therefore, the distraught people of the flood-prone villages are performing special pooja at temples seeking divine intervention to recede the flood situation.
