Residents panic as mild tremor hits Madikeri town

There was panic in Madikeri town in Kodagu district on Wednesday morning due to a mild tremor followed by a loud noise. It is learnt that the tremor was felt around 10.55 a.m. which lasted for five to 10 seconds.

Mr Ganesh Uthappa, who runs a departmental store in Madikeri town, told this reporter:
“I felt the tremor. The building shook. There was a noise akin to a boulder rolling down.”

Mr G. Rajendra, the Editor of Shakthi Kannada daily, said that following the tremor, newspaper bundles rolled out of the vehicle parked outside the newspaper office.

However, no reports of damage to property or casualties reported so far. Though most of the residents did not feel the tremor, residents in some areas of Madikeri town rushed out of their houses after they sensed the tremor.

Even though Madikeri is free from serious seismic activities, the town has become vulnerable to natural disasters due to the encroachment of the hillocks around the town by illegal migrants. There have been many land slips around the town.

There was a mild earthquake in the Somwarpet region of Kodagu in June, 2005, in which several houses were damaged.

The reckless deforestation of Kodagu in the recent years has affected the ecology and environment of the district, triggered by the tourist boom and the mushrooming of resorts.