Krishna River basin faces flood-like conditions after heavy rains in Karnataka, authorities evacuate residents

A flood-like situation has developed across the Krishna River basin due to continuous rainfall over the past few days, prompting district administrations to shift residents to safer locations and set up relief centres, according to a TOI report on Wednesday.

Authorities at Almatti Dam are releasing 2.5 lakh cusecs of water, while the average inflow stands at 1.6 lakh cusecs. Officials have warned that if outflows rise to 5 lakh cusecs, villages like Masuti could be entirely submerged.

Water levels in the Krishna, Ghataprabha, and Malaprabha rivers have surged, causing widespread concern. In Mirji village of Mudhol taluk, a relief centre has been opened to accommodate displaced families, said Bagalkot District Commissioner Sangappa.


In Jamkhandi, Assistant Commissioner Shweta MB said that the discharge from Krishna River at Rajapur barrage reached 1.4 lakh cusecs by 5 pm on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Narayanpur Dam is expected to see inflows rise to 2.6 lakh cusecs in the coming hours.

Officials have confirmed to TOI that continuous rains have partially damaged 47 houses in the region, though no casualties have been reported so far.

Weather alerts and school closures

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall over Karnataka for Tuesday.

In Karnataka’s Dharwad district, all Anganwadi centres, schools, and colleges will remain closed on Wednesday to ensure the safety of children and students. The district administration has also instructed authorities to conduct make-up classes on upcoming holidays to compensate for the lost academic days.

Rainfall data over the past few days showed the intensity of the downpour: North Interior Karnataka, including Dharwad, received 7–11 cm of rain on Tuesday, while Coastal Karnataka saw up to 22 cm in Castle Rock, 19 cm in Manki, and 15 cm in Jagalbet. In South Interior Karnataka, Kottigehara and Agumbe recorded 16 cm each, while Jayapura, Koppa, and Sringeri reported 7–9 cm.

The IMD had also issued a 24-hour Flash Flood Risk outlook for Coastal Karnataka’s Uttar Kannada district and a yellow alert predicting lighter rainfall of less than 5 mm per hour in Dharwad until 10:00 am on Wednesday.