Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, May 31: The coast, which was battered by heavy rain during this week, is heaving a sigh of relief as the rain fury has subsided. The meteorological department said that the city received 29 cm rainfall during the 24-hour period ending with 10 am on Wednesday May 30. Rainfall in other taluks during this period was also considerably less, with Udupi recording second highest rainfall of 17 cm.

The department stated that monsoon has entered Kerala coast and it is likely to enter Karnataka on Thursday or Friday. In the meantime, an area of depression has formed over Arabian Sea and resultantly, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts are expected to get heavy rainfall in the coming days.

On Tuesday, normal rainfall was reported from various parts of the district with intermittent drizzle and cloudy weather in most areas. On Wednesday, rainfall continued to be average, although the possibility of heavy rainfall was predicted. Relief vehicles from nearby districts like Shivamogga, Kodagu, and Hassan were summoned to the district to help the district administration and police to manage the situation.

Schools and colleges remained closed on Wednesday. As per a survey, the rain inflicted loss of over Rs 20 crore in Dakshina Kannada district. Relief work like clearing of drains and clogged roads were undertaken on Wednesday by district administration and city corporation. Backhoes were used to clear areas where artificial floods have wreaked havoc. Buses, both private and government, moved about normally. There was no problem on national highways 75 and 66. Flight and train operations returned to normalcy.

MP, Nalin Kumar Kateel, district deputy commissioner, Sasikanth Senthil, MLA, Vedavyasa Kamath, city mayor, Bhaskar and others visited various areas hit by the heavy rain and guided relief operations.