A relentless downpour has brought life to a standstill and unleashed widespread devastation across the districts of Yadgir and Raichur in Karnataka over the past 24 hours. The torrential rains have led to severe flooding, impacting communities and agricultural lands alike.
In response to the alarming rise in water levels, authorities from the Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigama Limited (KBJNL) were compelled to release massive quantities of water from key reservoirs. From the Basavasagar reservoir in Narayanapur, Hunsagi taluk, an astounding 80,000 cusecs of water were discharged into the Krishna river on Saturday afternoon. Simultaneously, an even larger volume of 4 lakh cusecs was released into the Bhima river from the Sannati bridge-cum-barrage in Chittapur taluk of Kalaburagi district, due to heavy inflows.
The Yadgir district administration has since issued an orange alert, urging residents along riverbanks to exercise extreme caution and avoid entering the swollen rivers. The impact of the floods is already evident: five families in Hurasagundagi village had to be evacuated and relocated to the Kalaji Kendra as their homes were inundated.
Preliminary assessments by the Yadgir district administration reveal a grim picture of the damage. A total of 18 sheep and goats have perished, and 29 houses have suffered significant damage. A joint survey to ascertain the full extent of crop losses is currently underway, with initial estimates suggesting that approximately 1.14 hectares of standing crops have been destroyed.
Rainfall data highlights the intensity of the deluge in Yadgir. Shahapur taluk recorded 47.6 mm of rain, Shorapur 60.4 mm, Yadgir city 36.4 mm, Gurmitkal 33.7 mm, Wadagera 43.2 mm, and Hunsagi 55.4 mm in the 24-hour period ending Saturday morning.
Raichur district faced a similar predicament, with the surging Krishna river causing extensive damage to crops and inundating numerous low-lying areas in Lingsugur, Hutti, Manvi, Mudnal, and other rural communities. The Agriculture Department in Raichur estimates that around 2,900 hectares of agricultural fields have been affected.
Rainfall figures for Raichur district underscore the severity: Deodurg registered 47.2 mm, Lingsugur 66 mm, Manvi 53.8 mm, Raichur city 48.4 mm, Sindhanur 59.4 mm, Maski 66.4 mm, and Sirwar 57.8 mm.