Torrential rains continue in parts of Karnataka, rivers in spate
Bengaluru: A majority of rivers in Karnataka are in spate due to torrential rains for the past few days inundating many villages, submerging houses, vehicles and destroying standing crops.
According to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), all the dams are full to the brim due to the heavy downpour resulting in their floodgates being opened.
"Opening the floodgates has led to flooding in the regions in the downstream. We have sounded an alert in many areas but still some villages will face the problem," said a KSNDMC official.
According to the sources in the water resource department, Cauvery, Hemavathi, Kapila and Harangi rivers were flowing above the danger level.
The sources also said the floodgates of the dams on these four rivers have been opened.
"We have released 40,000 cusec water from the KRS today. We have alerted people in the downstream," an official in the Water Resource Department said.
Similarly, rivers in north Karnataka and interior Karnataka are also wreaking havoc. The important dams there Bhadra, Tungabhadra, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, Almatti and Narayanapura are full to the brim.
The situation in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada district in coastal Karnataka remained grim, which is receiving heavy rains since Friday night.
Udupi suffered the worst damage, with the rains leaving a trail of destruction in many taluks, resulting in losses amounting to crores of rupees.
A team of NDRF personnel from Mangaluru reached Udupi on Sunday to assist in relief operations, as instructed by Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister Kota Srinivas Poojary.
Many areas in Udupi, including the 'Rajangana' at the Sri Krishna Mutt, shops and business establishments, parking areas and godowns were submerged in water.
Road connectivity to different parts of the district were lost. Hundreds of people were evacuated from their houses in flooded areas by the NDRF personnel.
The two rivers in the district, Swarna and Sitanadi, were flowing above danger levels, official sources said. A total of 31 relief camps were opened in the district.
Udupi Deputy Commissioner G Jagadeesha visited the affected areas and gave instructions into the personnel involved in rescue efforts.
In Dakshina Kannada district, several houses and buildings were submerged and vehicular movement was disrupted in many parts due to the rains during the last two days. Mangaluru and Bantwal taluks received the highest rainfall in the district.
Five relief camps were opened in the district and 1,250 people were shifted to safer places on Sunday, official sources said. The KSNDMC has informed that the rains will continue for the next two days and warned fishermen against venturing into the sea.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
