Early Friday morning, a landslide struck the Puttur Bypass road on National Highway 275 (NH-275) in Karnataka, causing significant traffic disruptions. The incident, which occurred around 3 AM, forced vehicles travelling towards Mysuru and Mangaluru to reroute through Puttur town. Authorities have responded swiftly to manage the situation and mitigate the impact on local traffic.
Following the landslide on the Bantwal-Mysuru road, police have erected barricades on both approaches to the affected area and diverted traffic through Puttur city. Thankfully, there have been no reports of vehicles or individuals getting stuck due to the landslide. The city police have also implemented traffic regulation measures to ensure smooth flow through the alternative routes.
The State Highways Department was quick to act, dispatching excavation machinery and workers to begin clearing the rubble by 8 AM. However, the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre has forecasted additional rainfall in both the coastal and interior regions. This anticipated weather could potentially complicate and delay the clearance operations on the affected stretches.
In a related incident, another landslide occurred at Bellippadi Andhrigeri village in Puttur at 4:30 AM. This secondary landslide caused severe damage to two houses and a cowshed, with the collapse resulting in the death of four cows that were housed in the shed. The collapse was attributed to a portion of the hill behind the affected structures giving way, burying them under a significant amount of soil.
The Purandhara Tahsildar of Puttur taluk reported that the fire service personnel who initially responded to the scene were unable to recover the carcasses of the animals due to ongoing instability of the hillside. The situation required the intervention of an excavator to safely retrieve the remains and clear the debris.
Efforts to clear the landslide debris on NH-275 are ongoing, but the anticipated rains pose a challenge to these operations. The combination of continuous rainfall and unstable ground conditions could hamper progress and extend the time needed to restore normalcy to the affected roads.
District authorities and emergency services are working collaboratively to address the immediate needs of the affected areas and to ensure that both traffic disruptions and the damage from the landslides are managed effectively. The situation remains fluid as teams continue their efforts to stabilise the area and assist those impacted by the natural disaster.
The events of early Friday highlight the vulnerability of the region to landslides, particularly in the context of ongoing adverse weather conditions. As the clearance operations proceed, the focus will be on ensuring safety, restoring transport links, and providing support to those affected by the landslides.