As heavy rain continues to hit parts of Karnataka, a rainy holiday was declared in eight districts on Thursday, July 7. The Dakshina Kannada District Government announced a rainy holiday for the third day in a row on Thursday, July 7.
Holidays have also been declared in seven other districts – Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Kodagu, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga, where educational establishments including anganwadis, schools and colleges will remain closed to prevent any rain-related accidents.
In Haasan, the holiday is declared in three taluks – Alur, Arakalgud and Sakaleshpura. The order came as India’s Meteorological Department issued a red alert for Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada on July 7.
On the same day, orange warnings were issued in Shivamogga, Belagavi, Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu, while yellow warnings were issued in Hassan, Haveri, Dharwad, Gadag and Kalaburagi.
Heavy rains are expected to continue with the IMD announcing orange warnings for Uttara Kannada, Udupi Dakshina Kannada, Shivamogga, Chikkamgaluru and Kodagu on Friday, July 8.
The government is on high alert in this vicinity following the deaths of three people following a landslide in Dakshina Kannada. Four Kerala men, who work as workers in Bantwal taluk, were trapped in the mud after their house collapsed due to a landslide.
The incident happened late on Wednesday, July 6. Of the four, one died at the scene while three others were treated and taken to a local hospital. Two of the three people rescued later died.
Over the next few days, heavy rains are expected over the northern districts of Karnataka – Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, Kalaburgi and Belagavi – and the southern interior of Karnataka including Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu and Shivamogga districts.
Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed in Kodagu, Karwar and Udupi. “Guidelines have been put in place to prevent marine erosion, evacuate people living in low-lying areas with common landslide spots and keep roads clear. Our teams are prepared with all the equipment,” said CM.
With the onset of the southwest monsoon, most areas of the state experienced rainfall, and the monsoon was particularly active over the northern, coastal, and southern inland counties.
