Rivers Swell In Belagavi As Catchment Areas Receive Heavy Rainfall
BENGALUR: Incessant rains that hit Belagavi and neighboring districts of Maharashtra on Sunday revived the great rivers Krishna, Malaprabha, Ghataprabha, while Vedaganga, Dudganga and Hiranyakeshi Rivers also swelled and flowed to their capacity in Belagavi. Heavy rains in these catchment areas of the rivers resulted in submergence of several bridges resulting in disconnection from one side to the other.
While road connections were cut off due to the overflow of streams, the Gokak Waterfall on the Ghataprabha River came to life again and the waters gushing from a certain height started attracting tourists to its bend on Sunday.
A temple dedicated to Lord Maruti (Hanuman) was partially submerged due to overflowing Malaprabha River in Habanahati village of Khanapur taluk in Belagavi. The idols of Hanuman, Lord Ram, his wife Sita and his brother Laksman were submerged by the nearby overflowing Malaprabha River. Malaprabha reported heavy influx due to heavy rains affecting the Kanakumbhi district of Khanapur, located around the Western Ghats.
Around 60,000 cusecs of water flowed into the Krishna River in Chikkodi taluk of the district due to heavy rains, especially in Kalola district. Additionally, Maharashtra discharged 40,00 cusecs from Rajapura Dam into the Krishna River. The massive discharge of water into the Krishna River has resulted in submergence of many bridges in low-lying areas, especially in Kalola and Yadoora sections. Three bridges were flooded in Nippani city of the district due to the overflow of Dudganga and Vedaganga rivers.
While the connections via Karadga-Bhoj and Bhojwadi-Kannur, built along the Vedaganga River, remained inaccessible to drivers, the Barawada-Kannur bridge was also flooded.
Meanwhile, the Gajanur reservoir in Shivamogga has filled and the authorities concerned have released over 20,000 cusecs of water into the Tunga River. About 10 gates of the reservoir were opened to the water discharged from the reservoir. The catchment areas of the reservoir in Chikkamagaluru-Thirtahalli district recorded heavy rains, which led to rapid filling of the reservoir, which had recorded low water storage a few days ago. Heavy rains in the Sharavathi River basin in Uttara Kannada and Shivamogga brought life to the ‘Jog Falls’.
