Incessant rainfall in South Maharashtra and some North Karnataka districts led to increased release of water from reservoirs, creating a flood scare among farmers on the banks of several rivers.
The inflow and outflow in reservoirs in the Krishna basin in Belagavi, Bagalkot and Yadgir districts is increasing by the hour. Officials have begun preparations for rescue and relief, if the villages were to face floods.
NDRF teams have arrived in the district headquarters in the Kalyan Karnataka region. In the Bombay Karnataka region, they have been paired with SDRF teams and are being sent from the taluk and sub-division towns concerned to villages likely to be affected, officials said.
Maharashtra released around 2 lakh cusecs of water into the Krishna and its tributaries. This includes the 40,000 cusecs released from the Koyna dam on Sunday. The total release into the Krishna and its tributaries from Maharashtra dams, including Kanher, Warna, Dudhganga, Radhanagari, Tulashi, Kansari, Dhom Balkewadi and Urmodi was around two lakh cusecs. This water released on Sunday could reach the Kallol barrage on the inter-State border on Tuesday. The inflow and outflow in the Lal Bahadur Shastry reservoir on the Krishna in Alamatti stood at two lakh cusecs. The dam had around 113 tmcft of water against its gross capacity of 123 tmcft. Over 2.38 lakh cusecs of water was gushing out of the Basavasagar dam in Narayanpur in Yadgir district. Rainfall in Khanapur increased the inflow to the Malaprabha. This led to increased outflow from the Navilu Teertha dam near Saundatti. The outflow from Navilu Teertha increased to 11,264 cusecs, which is slightly less than one tmcft of standing water.
This follows heavy rain in the jungles of Khanapur where the river takes birth and the catchment areas of Belagavi taluk and surrounding areas. Inflow into the Malaprabha increased to 19,900 cusecs by Sunday morning. The dam with a gross capacity 37.7 tmcft now has around 78.3 % water now, with around 29.08 tmcft. The outflow could go up to 15,000 cusecs if the inflow increased, officers said.
The district administration has urged farmers in all low-lying areas to move to safer places. Assistant Commissioner of Bailhongal has asked farmers not to go to their fields on the river bank. State Disaster Relief Force teams are camping in Chikkodi and Belagavi. A flood care centre has been opened in Nippani to house around 30 families. More such centres would be opened if the flood situation worsens, Deputy Commissioner M.G. Hiremath said.
Sunday’s release from the dam in Saundatti is also eight times the release of last year. The outflow on August 16, 2019 was just 1,514 cusecs, as there was a lull in rainfall. The fact that officers were releasing large amounts of water from the Alamatti dam was another reason for the low outflow then.
A bridge connecting Parishwad and Hire Munawalli villages over the Malaprabha near Khanapur in Belagavi district was submerged on Sunday morning following heavy rain. Outflow from the Ghataprabha was around 33,549 cusecs, Hiranyakeshi 5,250 cusecs, Markandeya 3,030 cusecs, Ballari Nala 4,890 cusecs and Hidkal reservoir was 20,379 cusecs.
The Gadag district administration declared an emergency alert in the villages along the banks of the Malaprabha. Deputy Commissioner M. Sundaresh Babu has asked farmers from low- lying areas to move to safer places. Officials said that 16 villages in Gadag disstrict faced the threat of submergence if the outflow from the Malaprabha increased. Heavy rain in Dharwad district also added to the inflow into the Malaprabha river.
