Six bridge-cum-barrages come under water in Belagavi 

A barricade was placed to stop people from reaching the bridge-cum-barrage at Manjari near Chikkodi in Belagavi district on Tuesday as the facility has submerged following water release from Maharashtra. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

As many as six bridge-cum-barrages in Belagavi district have come under water due to an increase in release of water from Maharashtra reservoirs into the Krishna river course.

Bridge-cum-barrages in Malikwad, Barwad, Bhoj, Karadaga, Kunnur and Manjari villages that connect 12 villages are under water. Commuters are using alternative routes. The police have closed access routes to these bridges.

Water release reached around 55,000 cusecs at the inter-State water gauging meter on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border. This was around 6,000 cusecs on Sunday. However, there is no immediate danger of floods till the water release reaches 2 lakh cusecs, an Irrigation Department officer said.

Water released on Saturday and Sunday reached Belagavi district on Monday and entered Bagalkot district on Tuesday. It is expected to reach the Lal Bahadur Shastri Reservoir in Almatti by Wednesday, officials said.

The Almatti dam now has an inflow of over 20,895 cusecs and it is expected to go up in 24 hours. Outflow was maintained at 15,000 cusecs and it could be increased slightly after Wednesday.

The dam now has around 65 tmcft nearly half of its total capacity of 123 tmcft.

Inflow into the Hipparagi barrage in Belagavi district was 32,236 cusecs and outflow 31,727 cusecs.

Inflow into the Raja Lakhamagouda Reservoir over the Ghataprabha in Hidkal increased to 13,709 cusecs and outflow 115 cusecs. The dam now has 48.9 tmcft of water against the full reservoir level of 51 tmcft.

The Gokak Falls over the Ghataprabha river in Naya Nagar near Gokak is overflowing. A large number of tourists are visiting the water body. The police have increased vigil at the waterfalls and are urging tourists not to venture into the waterfalls area which is considered unsafe now.

Intensity reduces

On Monday, the intensity of rainfall reduced in Belagavi, Bagalkot and Vijayapura districts. Light showers continued in the wooded areas of Khanapur while rainfall was negligible in most parts of North Karnataka. Most bridges that were submerged in Belagavi district came above water and traffic on them was being slowly restored.

Published - June 17, 2025 07:19 pm IST