Heavy rains lash many parts of Karnataka, allaying fear of drought
Bengaluru, Jul 23: Heavy downpour over the past two days in many parts of Karnataka, especially the coastal and southern region, brought hopes of a good harvest for farmers staring at a drought-like situation due to inadequate rains in the last two months.
According to Meteorological Department, there were heavy rains as southwest monsoon was active over the state and rainfall occurred at most places over coastal Karnataka, south interior region and at many places over northern areas.
There was very heavy rainfall in several parts of Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Chikkamagaluru, Udupi and Kodagu districts.
Heavy rains, accompanied by high-velocity winds, continued to lash several parts of the twin coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi on Sunday.
With the monsoon intensifying in the coast once again, several trees were uprooted in the two districts damaging houses and electric poles since Saturday, officials said.
In Mangaluru, some houses were damaged when a huge tree got uprooted on the campus of the zilla panchayat office in Kottara. A man sustained a head injury during the incident. Several trees fell in Daddalkad, Urwa and Pakkaladka in the city.
The water level in Nethravati river has risen steadily since Sunday morning, touching the danger mark. With this, the low-lying areas have been flooded with river water.
Water also entered a school playground and caused huge losses to arecanut growers following destruction of standing crops.
Officials directed the people in flood-affected areas to shift themselves to safer places. They also visited the rehabilitation centres set up at Panemangaluru.
Vehicular movement was affected on the Mani-Mysuru highway after a tree fell on the road at Neralakatte, while an uprooted tree at Lorettopadavu in Bantwal taluk disrupted traffic in the area.
A huge mango tree fell on the Katapadi-Shirva state highway near the weekly market area, leading to traffic disruption. Two bikes were damaged and one person was injured in the incident.
With Kumaradhara river in spate, the Dakshina Kannada district administration has urged devotees not to visit Kukke Subrahmanya temple for now as the river banks are submerged in floodwaters.
Fire and Rescue service personnel and Mangalore Electricity Company (MESCOM) staff have cleared roads and restored power supply at affected areas with the help of local people.
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts and has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall till Monday.
The Department said there were 'extremely heavy rainfall' in Castle Rock in Uttara Kannada district; Bhagamandala in Kodagu district, which is the origin and major catchment area of river Cauvery; Udupi district; and Mulki in Dakshina Kannada district.
Bengaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Belagavi, Haveri, Hassan, Dharwad, Davangere, Chamarajanagar, Gadag, Raichur, Mysuru, Bagalkote, Tumakuru, Chitradurga, Mandya, Chikkaballapura and Vijayapura received good rains.
The Department said rain is very likely to occur at most places over the state in the next 48 hours and heavy to very heavy showers are likely to occur at isolated places over all the districts of coastal Karnataka and over Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu, Shivamogga districts in southern region.
"Heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places over Belagavi, Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, Koppal, Yadgir districts of North Interior Karnataka and over Hassan and Ballari districts of South Interior Karnataka," the Meteorological Department said in its statement.
It further said that in the next 48 hours "heavy to very heavy rain" is likely to occur at isolated places in all the districts of coastal Karnataka.
Heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places over Belagavi district of north interior Karnataka and over Chikkamagaluru, Kolar, Kodagu, Shivamogga, Hassan districts of south interior Karnataka, the forecast read.
The Department has also advised fishermen not to venture into the sea as squally weather with wind speed reaching 40-45 Kmph gusting to 55 kmph is likely to prevail over Karnataka coast.
Orange alert has been sounded in the coastal districts as well as Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu and Shivamogga, while Hassan, Ballari, Yadgir, Koppal, Haveri, Gadag, Dharwad and Belagavi have been put on yellow alert.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
