Man-made disaster looms over Sringeri as real estate filling chokes natural drains ahead of 2026 monsoons

Heavy rainfall zones near Sringeri, including Kigga and Kerekatte that receive over 400 inches annually — surpassing even Agumbe — face heightened flood risk due to large-scale earth dumping on paddy fields for real estate development. Activists and locals warn that blocked stormwater drains and narrowed tributaries could trigger severe inundation, threatening not only the historic Sringeri Sharada Peetham consecrated by Adi Shankara, but also hundreds of acrs of fertile lands that grow paddy and Arecanut.