Karnataka witnesses non-stop rains, IMD issues red alert for 24 hours

'Red' alert has been issued for coastal districts of Karnataka on Tuesday, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting very heavy rainfall in Uttara Kannada and Dakshina Kannada for the next 24 hours."The red alert warning on July 25 is mainly for the South Konkan area, coastal Karnataka. Telangana saw the highest rain in the last 24 hours in Nizamabad with 400 mm of rainfall,” IMD Senior Scientist RK Jenamani said.Jenamani further said that the ‘red’ alert is mainly for Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, South Konkan and Central Maharashtra for the next two days.Heavy rains in Karnataka have already claimed three lives in the state.The coastal districts of Karnataka are expected to receive rainfall of over 200 mm in the next 24 hours.Incessant heavy rainfall has affected normal life in the region, with low-lying areas experiencing waterlogging and flooding.Holiday declared in KarnatakaSchools and colleges in Kodagu, Belagavi, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Haveri, Hassan, Shivamogga, Udupi, and some taluks in Dakshina Kannada have declared holiday due to the incessant rainfall and flood-like situation in the state.Warning issued for people living in coastal regionA warning has been issued by the weather office to people living in the coastal region asking them to avoid areas prone to waterlogging.The met office has asked people to stay away from vulnerable structures, which might collapse due to incessant rains.Rain related deaths in KarnatakaAs per reports, among three rain related deaths in Karnataka was of 12-year-old girl Rachana who was washed away in a stream on Sunday. On Monday Gokuldas Prabhu (53) of Kundapur taluk fell into a stream and died.On Monday, 53-year-old Basamma Basavaraj of Kalaburagi district died after her house collapsed.Karnataka rains wreak havocAs per officials, the water level in Kumaradhara River has breached the danger mark and devotees who visit the bathing ghat of Kukke Subrahmanya temple have been asked not to visit the shrine till the rain subsides.Also, Tunga River is flowing above the danger level in Sringeri.The Kallathigiri waterfalls in Chikkamagaluru have been closed as water levels have been rising due to heavy rains.Landslides were also reported near Dattapada Road in Chikkamagaluru district.Sri Kshetra Dutta temple in Narasimha Vaadi of Chikkodi taluk has been submerged due to incessant rains.In Hassan, a bridge connecting Somwarpet and Mageri was submerged on Monday with a biker stuck on it. He was later rescued by locals.At least five bridges Belagavi have submerged following heavy rainfall over the last two days.With inputs from agencies