Mangaluru: Rising water levels in the Nethravathi river following incessant rainfall in the Western Ghats inundated several low-lying areas in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada, forcing authorities to evacuate residents from flood-prone localities as a precaution.

The river level at Bantwal, which stood at 7.4 metres on Sunday evening, continued swelling till Monday morning and reached 8.5 meters, officials said.

Floodwaters entered more than 15 houses in low-lying areas, including Panemangaluru and Aladkapadpu, prompting officials to shift affected families to safer locations.

According to officials, the rise in the river level also submerged stretches of roads in Aladka, Kanchikarpete and the Kotekani area of Bantwal, disrupting vehicular movement.

Floodwaters also entered the surroundings of the Bhayankareshwara Temple and the cremation ground at Panemangaluru.

Meanwhile, water levels in the Nethravathi and Kumaradhara rivers also increased at Uppinangady due to continuing heavy rainfall in the ghats.

The Nethravathi river level at Uppinangady touched 30.1 metres on Sunday evening before receding marginally.

Although low-lying riverbank areas were inundated, no flooding was reported within Uppinangady town.

However, authorities said low-lying areas in Veeramangala were submerged due to the swelling Kumaradhara river and advised the public to avoid visiting the affected areas.

Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Corporation Officials are closely monitoring the river levels as rainfall continues across the catchment area.