Belagavi, 5 July

Heavy monsoon rainfall in Maharashtra's Western Ghats has pushed several rivers along the Karnataka-Maharashtra border above the danger mark.

Floodwaters from the Vedaganga and Dudhganga rivers submerged three key bridges in Nippani taluk on Sunday, disrupting road traffic and isolating several villages in Chikkodi, Nippani and Kagawad taluks.

The bridge connecting Karadaga and Bhoj villages across the Dudhganga has been completely submerged, while the overflowing Vedaganga has inundated the Barawad–Kannur and Bhojawadi–Gajbarwadi bridges, severing road links between the villages. The Rajapur–Jugal bridge in neighbouring Maharashtra has also gone underwater, disrupting cross-border connectivity.

As the Vedaganga and Dudhganga continue to flow above the danger mark, the taluk administration has issued a public advisory urging residents not to venture into the rivers and to keep livestock away from flooded areas.

Meanwhile, incessant rainfall in Maharashtra's Amboli forest region has led to a sharp increase in inflows into the Ghataprabha river. The water level in the Hidkal reservoir has risen by two feet in the past 24 hours, currently standing at 2,094 feet against its full reservoir level of 2,175 feet, with an inflow of 5,377 cusecs.

Heavy rainfall in the forested areas of Khanapur taluk has also caused the Pandari river to swell, with the Malaprabha reservoir currently receiving 622 cusecs from its catchment area.

The inflows are bringing critical relief to the depleting Renukasagar reservoir—which serves as the primary drinking water lifeline for the twin cities of Hubballi and Dharwad—across the Malaprabha river.