Dry Spell Follows Torrential Rains in Dakshina Kannada; IMD Predicts More Rain

Following weeks of torrential rain that disrupted life in Dakshina Kannada, the region experienced dry weather on Saturday. Despite the brief reprieve, the IMD has issued an orange alert for Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts for the next two days. Puthige in Mangaluru taluk recorded the highest rainfall at 95mm, while Aikala received 83.5mm in the past 24 hours.

A landslide affected traffic on the bypass to the Mani-Mysuru national highway in Puttur for a few hours on Friday. In response, the district administration imposed vehicle movement restrictions, allowing traffic only on one lane between 6 am and 8 pm, and banning it entirely from 8 pm to 6 am.

In Padnur village, a road was damaged due to a wall collapse. Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai visited the site and also a house in Bellippady where four cattle died after a wall collapsed. District Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, visiting the district on Friday, directed the district administration and Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) to file cases against those responsible for unscientific earth digging and hill cutting, which increase landslide risks. He emphasized that no earth digging should be permitted during the rainy season and violators must face stern action.

MCC Commissioner Anand CL confirmed that the city corporation has already banned hill cutting and earth digging within city limits.