Normal life has been disrupted in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, and Udupi, as heavy rains continue to pound the coastal districts of the state since the night of Wednesday, 29 June.
Several roads in Mangaluru, including Gandhi Nagar and Hampankatta main road, have been heavily inundated, affecting the traffic flow. At places including Pumpwell, near Mahakalipadpu railway underpass, Thokkottu, and Kottara Chowki, vehicles had to be diverted due to artificial flooding.
A portion of the road leading to Mangaluru International Airport was also reportedly washed away, affecting the traffic.
Holiday Declared for Degree & Pre-University Colleges in Mangaluru on Thursday
In the wake of heavy rains, the Mangaluru district administration declared a holiday for degree and pre-university colleges on Thursday. While a holiday was declared for a few schools, KV Rajendra, Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner, said that as children had already reached the schools, the admins decided to conduct classes after taking the necessary precautions.
Met department has issued an orange alert for the three districts for Thursday; thereafter, till 4 July, the districts have been issued an yellow warning.
For Bengaluru Urban and Rural, the IMD has predicted light to moderate rain till 4 July.
At 1 pm on Thursday, the Meteorological Centre in Bengaluru issued a nowcast saying that the districts of Uttara Kannada, Udupi, and Dakshina Kannada were likely to receive light to moderate spells of rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning with gusty winds at a speed of 30 to 40 kmph during the next three hours.
In a forecast released on Thursday, 30 June, the India Meterological Department (IMD) has said that the southwest monsoon has been active over coastal Karnataka.
In the next 24 hours, the IMD said that most places in coastal Karnataka, north interior Karnataka, and a few places over south interior Karnataka were likely to witness rainfall with thunderstorms
"Heavy to very heavy rain likely to occur at isolated places over all the districts of Coastal Karnataka and heavy rain also likely to occur at isolated places over Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Kodagu, Shivamogga districts of South Interior Karnataka. Thunderstorm with lightning likely to occur at isolated places over Coastal Karnataka and South Interior Karnataka," the IMD forecast said.
(With inputs from The News Minute.)
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