Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS)
Mangaluru, Jul 31: Normal life got disrupted in the city in the last couple of days due to the rain that lashed for four to five hours at a stretch. Hundreds of houses and shops got inundated.
Just a month ago, residents of city suffered a lot due to artificial flooding and Saturday they had to undergo the same ordeal again.
Rain that started around 2 am on Saturday went on till 7 am and caused havoc. Houses, shops and apartments in low lying areas of the city bore the brunt of artificial flood.
Water was flowing four to five feet above the road at Kottara Chowki, Pumpwell and Padil. Heavy vehicles were commuting with difficulty. Car, autorickshaws and two wheelers had to take alternative routes. People who had to reach office in the morning hours were put to inconvenience.
Residents and shopkeepers of Padil, Pumwell, Kadri temple Road, Malemar, Kottara Chowki, Kodikal, Kodialguthu Road, Kodialguthu east, Kudroli, Dongarakeri and Pandeshwar had a tough time.
In the second main of Subhashnagar at Dongarakeri knee deep water got accumulated. Shops and hotels of basement at PVS, Bunts Hostel and Kankanady, which are generally not affected during heavy rains also got completely submerged in water. Valuable electronics and other goods got destroyed due to flood water.
The Central railway station turned into an island with water all around. Vehicles could not be parked in the area. The road that leads to Bajal from Ekkuru was complete submerged in water. Locals used ambulance to ferry people from one end to the other. Household goods got damaged at Kallapu and Patla of Ullal as the water gushed inside the homes.
More than 100 mm of downpour was reported at areas around Mangaluru including Bantwal taluk within four hours. Harekala had the highest rainfall with 174 mm. 19 villages of Mangaluru, Bantwal and Puttur received more than 10 cm of rain.
The intensity of rain was so much in the morning it looked as if it will rain the whole day. However, around 7 am the rain stopped suddenly and at 9 am scorching sunshine was there all over the city. The temperature was high till evening. But the people whose houses and shops got inundated had a tough time to put things in place.