SHIMOGA: The swollen Tunga caused flash floods in parts of Shimoga district on Saturday with Tirthahalli and Hosnagar taluks, which received 165 mm and 180 mm of rainfall respectively in the last 24 hours, bearing the brunt of it.

The level in the Tunga in Shimoga rose all of a sudden as all the 21 crest gates of the main dam of the Upper Tunga Project (UTP) at Gajanur, about 10 km from here, were opened to release excess water. The force of the water was such that it started flowing over the dam for some time. Low-lying areas in Shimoga city were affected by the flash floods. Nearly 70 houses were affected by flash floods at Mandagadde between Shimoga and Tirthahalli, where the main road between Shimoga and Tirthahalli was inundated by the Tunga waters forcing the authorities to divert the traffic.

Families living in houses which were surrounded by the water were shifted to safe places. The water started flowing four feet above the road at four points at Mandagadde on Saturday morning.

Thousands of birds in the sanctuary situated in the mid of the Tunga at Mandagadde are struggling for survival as they are exposed to a serious threat following the rising water level in the river. Nearly 33 houses in low-lying areas in Shimoga city such as Seegihatti and Imam Bada were affected with the river waters flooding the houses. The families have been provided temporary shelter at the Shaadi Mahal and the Government Primary School where the gruel centres have been opened.

Close watch

Deputy Commissioner T.K. Anilkumar told The Hindu that the district administration was keeping a close watch on the situation, which was expected to be grave in the next few hours going by the prevailing weather conditions. He said that the district administration, police and revenue departments and the City Municipality were fully geared to meet the situation.

Some of the villages such as Bandya and Hosabeedu located on the banks of the Tunga are affected by the flash floods while five cattleheads are reported to have been washed away by the floodwaters. Four houses in Sorab reportedly collapsed while the level of the Anjanapur reservoir in Shikaripur taluk has been rising steadily as the level in the Kumudvati continued to rise.

Meanwhile, all the gates of the Linganamakki Reservoir and all the four gates of the Bhadra Reservoir were opened on Friday night to release excess water into the Sharavathy and the Bhadra rivers.

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