Torrential rainfall across the Western Ghats in Maharashtra has caused the Krishna, Vedaganga and Dudhganga rivers to swell, creating flood-like conditions in the bordering taluks of Chikkodi and Nippani in Karnataka. Rising water levels have submerged several key bridges, disrupted road traffic and cut off connectivity between multiple villages.
Near Kallol in Chikkodi taluk, the Krishna river is currently receiving an inflow of nearly 60,000 cusecs. In addition, around 40,000 cusecs of water is being released from the Rajapur Barrage in Maharashtra, significantly increasing the river's discharge downstream. As a result, the low-level bridge connecting Kallol and Yadur villages has been completely submerged, while the Rajapur-Jugal bridge in neighbouring Maharashtra has also gone under water.
Floodwaters have also affected Nippani taluk, where both the Dudhganga and Vedaganga rivers are flowing above the danger level. Three major bridges in the region have been submerged, severely affecting transportation and access to nearby villages.
The Karadaga-Bhoj and Bhojawadi-Kunnur bridges across the Dudhganga river are submerged, while water has begun flowing over the Barawad-Kannur bridge on the Vedaganga river. Authorities have cautioned that river levels could continue to rise if heavy rainfall persists over the coming days.
Continuous rainfall over the past four days across the Western Ghats and the Kanakumbi forest region in Khanapur has also led to a sharp increase in the water level of the Malaprabha river. Floodwaters have partially inundated the historic Maruti Temple located on the outskirts of Habbanatti village.
The Tunga reservoir has also recorded substantial inflows following incessant rainfall. The reservoir level stood at 587.86 metres, close to its Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 588.24 metres. The reservoir received an inflow of 21,747 cusecs, while total outflow was maintained at 23,784 cusecs. In view of the rising water level, authorities opened 11 crest gates of the reservoir on Sunday. Additional water was released into the Tunga river on Monday, leading to a further rise in downstream water levels.
Heavy rain and strong winds also disrupted traffic on the Bengaluru-Mangaluru National Highway-75 on Monday after a massive tree was uprooted and fell across the road near Doddatappale village in Sakleshpur taluk.
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Vehicular movement remained suspended for more than two hours before a joint team comprising officials from the Revenue, Forest, Public Works and Transport departments cleared the obstruction and restored traffic.
The downpour, which has continued since Monday morning across the Maranahalli and Gundia stretches of the Western Ghats, has created hazardous driving conditions. At several locations along the highway, vehicles skidded on the rain-soaked road and crashed into roadside dividers. No casualties have been reported. Heavy rainfall has also been pounding the Malnad region since Saturday, causing damage to houses and public infrastructure in several areas.
In Koluru village under Bettagere Gram Panchayat limits in Mudigere taluk, a tree crashed onto the house of a resident identified as Janaki, leaving her with minor injuries. In another incident, a fallen tree blocked the Mudigere-Gowdahalli road and damaged an electricity pole, disrupting traffic until Monday morning.
The continuous rainfall has also increased inflows into the Bhadra and Tunga rivers, pushing both closer to their capacity levels. The Bhadra reservoir recorded an inflow of 4,135 cusecs on Monday morning. Water storage stood at 26.548 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft), against the reservoir's total capacity of 71.535 tmc ft. The reservoir's water level was measured at 139.6 feet, compared to its Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 186 feet.
Heavy rain has also boosted inflows into other major reservoirs in Shivamogga district. The Linganamakki reservoir recorded a water level of 1,751.60 feet at 8 am on Monday, marking an increase of 1.75 feet compared with the previous reading, indicating continued heavy inflows from the catchment areas.
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