Belagavi
Incessant, heavy rainfall in Maharashtra’s bordering areas with Karnataka has created panic in taluks here, especially Athani, Chikkodi, Raibag and Nippani.
The district administration has alerted its machinery to tackle a probable flood. The alarm is for three factors that have occurred together.
First, because the Panchganga in Maharashtra has swelled, and Panchganga’s flow affects the river Krishna that flows in Belagavi, Bagalkot and Vijayapura districts.
Second, Maharashtra has released 25,000 cusecs of water into the Krishna through the Rajapur barrage. The inflow to the Krishna may increase in the next couple of days.
Third, there is already an orange alert in Belagavi which is expected to get heavy rain, especially in the catchment area of the Krishna, in the next couple of days.
In Maharashtra, 29 barrages have submerged in the last two days in Kolhapur because of the swelling Panchaganga. The India Metrological Department (IMD) has declared a red alert for Kolhapur district till Thursday.
A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team has arrived in the district and deployed in Chikkodi taluk.
There are chances of submergence of several more low-laying barrages, located on the Vedganga and Doodhganga rivers, tributaries of the Krishna in Chikkodi and Nippani taluks because of the rain and water released from Maharashtra into the Krishna.
We have constantly been in touch with officials in Maharashtra and are getting information about the situation and the quantum of water release. The situation is still not alarming as dams on the Maharashtra border are yet to be filled. Still, we have taken precautions to face any situation. Our tahsildars and nodal officers are alert. We have kept 27 boats ready, Belagavi deputy commissioner Nitesh Patil said.
