Rain wreaks havoc across coastal belt

The twin districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi has witnessed 10 rain-related deaths so far this season despite rainfall deficiency being about 24% in the coastal belt.

The twin districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi has witnessed 10 rain-related deaths so far this season despite rainfall deficiency being about 24% in the coastal belt.

Of the 10 deaths, seven were reported in Udupi district and three in Dakshina Kannada. The administration was examining the death of one more person in Dakshina Kannada district on Sunday, as to whether it was owing to the natural calamity as the rains had receded.

Keshava, 51, died after falling into a stormwater drain abutting Subrahmanya-Manjeshwara State Highway in Punacha village of Bantwal taluk while crossing a makeshift footbridge to reach home.

More than 100 residential houses were partially damaged due to rains and heavy wind in the two districts during the fortnight. Even as farmers had begun a belated sowing of paddy shoots, transplanted paddy shoots on more than 50 hectares of land in Udupi district were inundated in the flood waters. Over 3,000 electricity poles, about 75 transformers and 125 km of power lines of the MESCOM were damaged during the period. The road infrastructure too got extensively damaged in these two districts.

Though the average rainfall in Dakshina Kannada receded to 62.8 mm between 8 a.m. of Saturday and 8 a.m. of Sunday, Ajjavara in Sullia taluk received the highest amount of rain in the State at 125.5 mm. Madamakki in Kundapura taluk of Udupi district received the highest amount of rainfall for the district at 100 mm while the district’s average was 47.1 mm during the period.