Rain floods Mangaluru, 4 dead; schools in DK, Udupi shut

Mangaluru, May 29: Heavy rain on Tuesday claimed four lives in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi and crippled traffic in Mangaluru as roads were inundated.

As a precaution, the district administration has declared holidays for schools and colleges in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi district on Wednesday. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday instructed officials to ensure all possible assistance in rain-affected areas of Karnataka while Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the flood situation in Mangaluru.

Areas like Pumpwell, Ambedkar Circle, Kodialguthu, Kottara Chowki, Attavar, PVS, Kadri Kambala, Adyar, Ekkur, Alake, Panjimogeru, Bykapmpady Industrial Area and Thokkottu Junction were flooded. A majority of the roads in the city were knee-deep in water either due to lack of stormwater drains or choked drains.

Traffic was paralysed due to water-logging in areas like Pumpwell, Padil, Kottara Chowki with many four-wheelers stranded in the flood water. As a result, vehicles piled up on the highway and also on the newly-laid service road. People were seen pushing four-wheelers and two-wheelers.

Meanwhile, residents expressed their anger against the NHAI and Mangaluru City Corporation for their shoddy work on the roads and drains resulting in flooding.

Waterlogging near Women’s College and Ambedkar Circle bus stop affected traffic on the busy stretch between Juice Junction and Ambedkar Circle. Motorists had a hard time driving through the waterlogged stretches.

Schoolchildren from Gujarati School in Alake were shifted by a boat by firemen as there was around four feet of water around the school.Two teachers suffered injuries when the wall of a school in Krishnapura collapsed. The injured are Mamatha and Tulasi. With the district administration declaring holiday after 1 pm, parents rushed to schools to pick up their wards. Flooding in Baikampady Industrial Area affected many industries.