Bengaluru: Heavy rain claimed two lives in the state on Thursday as swelling rivers led to a rise in reservoir levels. Two women were washed away in flash floods in a creek in Chinchansur village of Aland taluk of Gulbarga district.

One of them has been identified as Girija (42), wife of Srishail. Another woman, Mamata, was rescued. They were returning home from their fields.

With heavy rain continuing to lash parts of the state, rivers have been in spate and the water levels in the reservoirs have been nearing the brim. A two-year-old girl died of severe cold following rain in Belgaum.

In Belgaum, the district administration has been on the alert after the Krishna river has been steadily swelling with incessant rains in Maharashtra. Since the river is threatening to break its banks, villagers are leaving their homes with their belongings and animals.

In all, 63 houses had collapsed in the district and roads and bridges had been closed with rivers overflowing.

In Shimoga district, Linganamakki and Tunga reservoirs have been experiencing heavy inflow. Water level in Linganammaki reservoir, with a maximum capacity of 1,819 feet, touched 1,777.50 feet on Thursday. The dam’s catchment areas received 73.6 mm rainfall in the past 24 hours. In the same period, Agumbe known as Cherrapunji of the state, received the highest rainfall of 196.2 mm.

With the rivers in Uttara Kannada swelling following incessant rains in Malnad taluks of Sirsi, Siddapur, Yellapur and Joida, normal life was thrown out of gear. There has been a sharp increase in the water levels in all the reservoirs of the district raising the hope of improvement in power situation.

In Mysore, Transport Minister and Mandya District in-charge Minister R Ashok had to face the wrath of angry farmers who confronted him after the release of water from Krishnaraja Sagar Dam to Tamil Nadu.

Ashok, however, denied any water had been released. Farmers had blocked the Bangalore- Mysore state highway for about an hour and staged an agitation.

In Madikeri, the DDPI announced a two-day holiday for primary and high schools in the district on Friday and Saturday. Later, it was extended to PU colleges too.

With the level at Harangi dam rising, authorities opened crest gates on Thursday.