A 23-year-old man in Athani taluk of Karnataka’s Belagavi district died amid heavy rainfall in the region, officials familiar with the developments said on Thursday.
The incident marks the second death due to heavy rains in Belagavi this year.
According to the officials, Kashinath Appasaheb Sutar was killed on Thursday morning after his mud-and-stone house collapsed on him while he was asleep at around 3 am.
Officials said while Kashinath, a daily wage worker, was killed in the accident, his parents and other family members who were sleeping in another part of the same room remained safe.
In the absence of area legislator Lakshman Savadi, his son Chidanand Savadi visited the scene to console the grieving family on Thursday.
He assured them that he would help them secure a house under the government scheme and informed them that he had already brought the tragedy to the attention of his father.
“I already brought the tragedy to the notice of my father, who may visit the place tomorrow and announce the financial compensation from the government for the death of Kashinath,” Chidanand Savadi said.
Neighbours at the site informed Chidanand Savadi that several other houses in the locality had also been affected by the rains and were in danger of collapsing.
In response, Chidanand assured the residents that he would work towards rehabilitating them all at government care centres.
An official from the Athani tahsildar office revealed that Athani, falling under the Chikkodi division, typically receives less rainfall annually. However, this year’s light showers have still managed to impact the structural integrity of mud houses like Kashinath Sutar’s, necessitating urgent repairs or relocation to safer areas to prevent further incidents.
As the rains continue in Khanapur and Belagavi taluks for the tenth consecutive day, and with water being released into the Markandeya river, the water level in the Hidkal reservoir, with a capacity of 51-tmcf, is also on the rise.
Due to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a yellow alert, all schools were declared closed on Thursday. The heavy and continuous rainfall has led to rain holidays being declared for schools in Belagavi and Khanapur taluks since Monday to ensure the safety of students and staff.
Meanwhile, the Rakaskop reservoir, located 17 kilometres from Belagavi, which had previously dried up, has now reached its full capacity due to continuous heavy rains. The reservoir, with a capacity of 0.7-tmcf, had experienced a reduction in water level due to silt storage, officials said.
To manage the water level in the reservoir, water is being released into the Markandeya River since Thursday. Initially, 3 inches of all five crest gates were opened to release water, but as the flow to the reservoir continued to increase, 1.5 feet of all five crest gates are now open, officials added.
L&T Company, responsible for supplying water to the city, estimates that the stored water, accounting for 17,660 MLD (million litres per day), can be used for 162 days after evaporation loss. Additionally, there is dead storage water available for 15-20 days, allowing the reservoir to serve the city’s water needs for a total of six months without any issues.
