Incessant rains in South Maharashtra and some North Karnataka districts have led to an increase in the release of water from reservoirs, creating a flood scare among farmers on the banks of the rivers.
The inflow and the outflow in reservoirs in the Krishna basin in Belagavi, Bagalkot, and Yadgir districts have been increasing by the hour.
Officials have begun preparations for rescue and relief if the villages will face flooding, officials said.
NDRF teams
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have arrived at the district headquarters in Kalyana Karnataka region.
In Bombay Karnataka region, they have been paired with State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams and are being sent to villages likely to be affected, officials said.
Maharashtra has 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 water released on Sunday could arrive at the Kallol barrage at the inter-State border on Tuesday.
The inflow and the outflow in the Lal Bahadur Shastri reservoir on the Krishna in Alamatti was at the rate of 2 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.
Rains in Khanapur increased the inflow to the Malaprabha. This led to an increased outflow from the Navilu Teertha dam near Saundatti.
The outflow from Navilu Teertha increased to 11,264 cusecs, which is slightly less than 1 tmcft of standing water. This follows heavy rains 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, which has a gross capacity 37.7 tmcft, now has around 78.3% water now, 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 banks.
Flood-care centre
A SDRF team is 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 at the rate of 1,514 cusecs, as there was a lull in rainfall.
The fact that officers were releasing large amount of water from the Almatti dam was another reason for the low outflow then.
The bridge connecting Parishwad and Hire Munawalli villages over the Malaprabha near Khanapur in Belagavi district was submerged on Sunday morning following heavy rains. The outflow from the Ghataprabha was at the rate of around 33,549 cusecs. From the Hiranyakeshi it was 5,250 cusecs, from the Markandeya 3,030 cusecs, from the Balalri Nala 4,890 cusecs, and from the Hidkal reservoir it was around 20,379 cusecs.
Emergency alert
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 faced the threat of submergence if the outflow from the Malaprabha increased. Heavy rains in Dharwad district also added to the inflow into the Malaprabha.
Published - August 17, 2020 07:52 am IST
