MADIKERI: Kodagu district continued to reel under the impact of heavy rainfall on Monday, with the rising waters of the Cauvery, the Lakshmanathirtha and other rivers flooding several areas and throwing life out of gear.

More than 17 families living on the banks of the Cauvery at Karadigodu, near Siddapur, have been shifted to rehabilitation centres nearby after their houses were flooded on Sunday night and Monday morning. Bhagamandala remained cut off from the rest of the district for the third day on Monday. The Kannike and the Sujyoti are in spate and have flooded the Madikeri-Bhagamandala road and the Bhagamandala-Aiyyangeri road.

The waters of the Cauvery has reached the steps of the Bhagandeshwara temple in Bhagamandala after many years. The river has engulfed large tracts of paddy fields all along its course.

Heavy rainfall was reported in the Brahmagiri, Talacauvery and Pushpagiri wildlife sanctuaries over the past 24 hours.

The Ramathirtha and the Lakshmanathirtha rivers in Virajpet taluk are in spate. Floods brought traffic movement came to a halt in the Balele, Nittur, Kanur areas on Monday. The rising Cauvery at Bolibane has severed road links between Napoklu and Murnad. Koodugadde and Guhya, near Siddapur, have been cut off from rest of the district.

Trees uprooted

A huge tree has fallen across the Madikeri-Somwarpet road at Haleri, near Sunticoppa. Reports of fallen trees have come in from several parts of the district.

The Kalur river is flowing above the danger mark at Kalur near here. Waterfalls have become a common sight in many parts of Kodagu.

The district administration has extended holidays for schools up to August 4 owing to the heavy rainfall. Strong winds have brought trees down on power lines leaving many parts of the district without power. Drastic voltage fluctuation has damaged household equipment, particularly television sets, in some parts of Madikeri city.

The Deputy Commissioner, Subodh Yadav, who chaired a coordination committee meeting on flood relief operations on Monday, instructed officials not to leave the headquarters until the situation improves.

Soil samples

Geologists from Bangalore have taken soil samples from Biligeri in Somwarpet taluk to ascertain what caused the fissures on the hillock and cracks in some houses in the area, Mr. Yadav said. The results are likely to be obtained on Tuesday.

Talacauvery continued to receive heavy rain in the past 24 hours recording 198.6 mm of rainfall. Bhagamandala and Napoklu in Madikeri taluk received 145 mm each. Somwarpet town received 126 mm, Sunticoppa in Somwarpet taluk 160 mm, Srimangala in Virajpet taluk 120 mm, Madikeri taluk 90 mm, Shanivarasante 65 mm, Ponnampet 45 mm, Gonicoppa and Virajpet towns 70 mm each and Siddapur 78 mm in the past 24 hours.

Inflow

The inflow into the Harangi reservoir increased to 15,448 cusecs on Monday. The discharge from the reservoir has been increased to 15,970 cusecs. Five hundred cusecs is being let into the canals. Only 18.8 mm of rainfall was recorded in the Harangi reservoir area on Monday.

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