Chikkamagaluru is soaking in incessant heavy rain– the type that never stops down on the Malnad land. Now, even to this very day, some are traumatised, and the roads are flooded, and the normal daily routine of life is in ruins, causing untold havoc.
Things worsen, especially with the past couple of days of heavy rain in the district, coupled with particularly heavy winds, thunder and lightning in parts of the district. In some parts of the city, intense rainwater poured up nearly three feet above the road, according to local news, causing traffic problems.
Pouring and flooding persisted as many lower-lying areas were wet with the rain, causing serious traffic problems for people on foot and those around them. In one case, police said the autorickshaw broke down on a flooded road as water rushed into the vehicle’s silencer.
It was caught in the torrential rain, and some individuals who’d been a stone’s throw away were solicited by all those around to help drive them to safety. A video of rainwater spilling from the bonnet of an Alto car while inundating its surrounding area was captured in a viral image.
The water level had risen enough that the vehicle’s wheels were completely covered and the water was nearly to the window, reports say. These photos have rekindled new fears of urban flooding and drainage infrastructure in rain-prone parts of the Chikkamagaluru district.
In some places, residents said, heavy rain, wind gusts and lightning have created a panic-like scene. The deluge has also affected road transport, daily life, businesses and travel within the district. This rain is now terrifying, residents said, in the Malnad belt, which has been among the rainiest areas during the monsoon.
The locals feared landslides, tree-falling and other agricultural land damage if the rainfall levels were sustained over a short time frame, residents said. The district administration and local leaders of the region are said to be keeping a close eye on the situation. In some of its vulnerable areas, residents were also advised that urban emergency response teams and civic officials are in charge of responding to weather and flooding emergencies in a disaster-affected area.
Experts said the heavy rains had been due to strong monsoon activity in the coastal and Malnad regions of Karnataka. Changes to Arabian Sea winds along with moisture-laden winds have also accelerated the precipitation in separate districts of the state, namely Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga, Kodagu and Hassan.
They're urged not to move around too much during heavy rain and stay away from flooded roads and waterlogged places. Drivers should also take caution when driving next to hillside & low-lying roads, where the water has already begun to build up, the authorities said.
Heavy rainfall can affect coffee plantations and other types of agricultural work, so farmers and plantation owners in Chikkamagaluru have been closely monitoring the weather. Rain is vital to the community’s farming economy in the region, but the consistent, heavy rains can also damage plants and erode soil. Pictures of submerged vehicles, drenched roads that float along the feeds of social media, are also highlighting the situation of Malnad areas in distress from the monsoon.
Officials said that some of those who are already feeling the strain are now counting on their capacity to adapt to whatever better weather might come, and that authorities will do everything they can to minimise damage, trying, as much as possible, to protect the public.
Even as the deluge cycles through Chikkamagaluru, life at Karnataka’s coffee grounds is a little harsher on residents of the city that is prone to heavy rains, and residents are bracing for another rain.
