Rainfall has eased, but high inflows from Maharashtra keep Krishna river levels dangerously elevated across Bagalkot and nearby districts.
Belagavi
Rainfall across North Karnataka subsided on Monday, yet water levels in the Krishna and its tributaries remained alarmingly high following heavy releases from upstream reservoirs in Maharashtra. Several bridge-cum-barrages in Bagalkot district, including those at Mirji, Channal, Uttur-Jalibera, Mudhol, Jirgala, and Dhavaleshwar, stayed submerged, forcing commuters onto alternative routes.
Bagalkot officials reported extensive damage, with 321 houses partially or fully collapsing and about 1,060 acres of onion crop—the district’s key agricultural produce—destroyed. Although Bagalkot typically receives only 450 mm of rain annually, over 130 mm has fallen within a week. At least 260 families have been shifted to relief centres as a precaution.
Water release from the Lal Bahadur Shastri (Almatti) reservoir on the Krishna has been increased to 1.2 lakh cusecs against an inflow of 1.07 lakh cusecs. The dam is nearly full at 122.13 tmcft of its 123 tmcft capacity. Discharge from Maharashtra stood at 63,000 cusecs.
Backwater from the Raja Lakhamagouda reservoir on the Ghataprabha has damaged large areas of standing crops, with inflows at 2,902 cusecs and outflows at 5,320 cusecs. The Renuka Sagar dam on the Malaprabha reported similar pressure, recording 5,444 cusecs inflow and outflow while nearing full storage.
Authorities remain on alert as downstream villages brace for potential flooding despite a break in rainfall.