IMD issues 5-day 'red' alert for coastal Karnataka, extremely heavy rainfall expected

BENGALURU: A three-year-old girl died in a wall-collapse incident in Belagavi and landslides, waterlogging, traffic disruptions were reported from several districts of Karnataka as heavy rain - under the early influence of advancing southwest monsoon - pounded several districts of the state for a third straight day on Monday.India Meteorological Department has issued a five-day red alert for coastal Karnataka and warned of extremely heavy rainfall exceeding 20cm in the next 24 hours.In Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada districts, incidents of landslips were reported. Rivers surrounding Belthangady showed a sharp rise in water levels, raising fears of flooding in low-lying areas.Several areas in Mangaluru city were waterlogged due to overflowing drains. "Rainfall crossed 150mm in several parts of the district in the past 24 hours. Bellare in Sullia recorded the highest at 200.5mm, followed by Sarapady in Bantwal and Belandur in Puttur with 190mm each," said an official from the district administration.Dakshina Kannada DC Anand K declared holidays for all anganwadis, primary and high schools, and PU colleges on May 27 and 28.In Chikkamagaluru's Balur village, a woman was seriously injured when a tree fell on her house. DC CN Meena Nagaraj announced closure of anganwadis till Wednesday. In Malnad districts of Hassan and Chikkamagaluru, landslides disrupted traffic along Shiradi and Charmadi ghats.