Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Sep 25: While the two districts went without any rains on Friday September 24, more reports of devastation let loose by the heavy downpour of Thursday night have come in.
In the city, a house owned by Titus D’Souza opposite KMC Hospital, Attavar collapsed, inflicting a loss of about four lac rupees on the owner, while walls of three other houses crashed to the ground because of heavy rains. About 1,500 poultry birds of a farm in Kenchanakere near Mulky died after water entered their pens. A house owned by Keshava Poojary in Tadambail, Suratkal, was damaged due to lightning. Water entered hundreds of houses in low-lying areas in Attavar, Pandeshwar and Kankanady in the city. The backside compound wall of a hotel in Bendorewell collapsed, damaging the wall and well of a house owned by Vinay Cardoza.
Fire brigade personal and corporators were found to be busy helping the people to manage the situation.
Mulky recorded 19 cms of rain within two hours. The local airport also received 16 cms of rain in two and half hours, official of the weather department of the airport, R J Vaz, said, adding that never before had the airport received such heavy rains in such a short period.
Power supply was disrupted in many parts of the two districts, and defect was noticed in the 110 kv line supplying power to Kundapur. Due to lightning, all the ATMs located in Beltangady town stopped functioning, and the services were not restored till Friday evening. Telephone services and power supply was restored in rural places by Friday evening. After the bund erected across a stream in Melantabettu in Beltngady taluk gave way, 25 acres of agricultural fields and plantations were inundated.
Several people from Udupi district were injured due to lightning, and they were treated in different hospitals. Reports of heavy rains have also been received from Shimoga and Chikmagalur districts.
The meteorological department has predicted heavy rains to visit the coast during the next two days.