Krishna in spate in Karnataka, no flood threat

The Krishna river Thursday was in spate following heavy rains in catchment areas of northern Karnataka and neighbouring Maharashtra and discharge of water from dams, an official said but ruled out any flood threat.

"Heavy rains since a week in the Marathwada region and northern districts of our state have raised the water level in the (Krishna) river due to overflow from the neighbouring state and discharge of surplus water from its dams," Bijapur district official S. Deshpande told IANS.

Clarifying that there was no threat of flood in the region, as the river had low water level and its streams and tributaries were virtually dried up due to severe drought in the state last year, Deshpande said the water level in the Almatti dam in the adjacent Bagalkot district has risen due to heavy inflows from Maharashtra and northern parts of the state.

"The situation is normal and there is no cause for alarm. Water level in the dam has steadily increased to 509 metres as against its maximum level of 519 metres due to copious rains in the region since the (southwest) monsoon set in during the first week," Deshpande said.

As the third longest Indian river (1,400 km) after the Ganga and the Godavari, Krishna originates at Mahabalashwar in Maharashtra's Satara district and flows through Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh before joining the Bay of Bengal on the east coast.

"Heavy water flow from the Maheshavadagi barrage between Athani and Rabakavi inundated low-laying areas on the banks of the river in Bagalkot district. Though streams and tributaries have swollen, the river is still below the danger level," Deshpande said.

As a precautionary measure, the district administration has advised the people living on the river banks to shift to safer places.

The backward district of Bijapur is about 520 km from Bangalore.