No flood or heavy rain alert in Bengaluru, Meteorological Dept rejects media reports

Weather

Even in the latest IMD’s warning to district authorities, there is no mention of Bengaluru.

Soumya Chatterjee

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Officials of both the Indian Meteorological Department and Karnataka State Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) have rubbished reports stating ‘flood alert’ or ‘heavy rainfall’ alert in Bengaluru in the upcoming days. The reports have appeared in at least four major English dailies. “What is the basis for those reports? No such heavy rain is there. There is a possibility of light to moderate rainfall in Bengaluru in the next five days,” CS Patil, Director and Scientist at IMD, Bengaluru told TNM. Corroborating the IMD’s statement, the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre too rubbished these claims. “I don’t know what is the basis for this. There is no such rainfall forecasted. There are systems to understand, vulnerable points and correctly alert people at an appropriate time. But as of now, for the next one week there is no heavy rainfall predicted. I don’t know why reports said that Bengaluru flood,” Project Scientist (Hydrology) Subha Avinash told TNM. The official bulletin issued by IMD on Saturday as on 9 am states that Bengaluru would have a cloudy sky with a few spells of rainfall. “Surface winds very likely to be strong and gusty at times. Maximum & Minimum temperatures very likely to be around 25 and 20 degree Celsius respectively,” it added. Even in the latest IMD’s warning to district authorities, there is no mention of a red warning in Bengaluru. The reports come as significant portions of northern, central and coastal Karnataka are reeling under floods with 24 deaths confirmed. There are landslides and roads caving in cutting off rail and road networks, People have been evacuated from vulnerable locations and are being sheltered in relief camps. When contacted, BBMP officials declined to comment on the media reports but confirmed that the Mayor held meeting on Friday with regards to precautionary measures to be taken in case of torrential downpours.  Randeep D, Special Commissioner, BBMP, told TNM, “I have issued a circular asking staff not to leave headquarters in the next three days as a measure of preparedness. I am not the authority to forecast rainfall. Our directive stands in case it rains or does not rain.” In that meeting, the Storm Water Drain Department of the BBMP presented a list of more than 170 vulnerable points in the city including major junctions in the central business districts even spread over eight zones of the city. The full list is reproduced below.    

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The KSNDMC, which was also present at the meeting stated that it has installed 18 real time sensors in major SWDs in the city for real time tracking of the flood.

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Karnataka floods: Death toll rises to 24, water expected to recede in 2-3 days

Floods

A total of 2.43 lakh people have been evacuated from low lying areas.

Soumya Chatterjee

The death toll in the continual floods in Karnataka has risen to 24 as of Saturday afternoon. Heavy rainfall has lashed north, central and coastal Karnataka since August 4. Another nine people are feared missing, according to the situation report prepared by the Chief Minister’s Office. As relief and rescue operations by the local fire and emergency personnel, NDRF, SDRF, civil defence and the Army continues, disaster management authorities say the flood water will only recede in the next two or three days. Among the 16 deaths that were confirmed as of Friday evening, eight were reported in Belagavi, two in Uttara Kannada, one each in Mysuru, Shivamogga, Udupi and three in Dharwad. Another seven are from Kodagu.  The extent of the flood has been felt in 80 taluks spread across 18 districts. A total of 2.43 lakh people have been evacuated from low lying areas including those who were airlifted. 1. 61 lakh people, who have been rescued are currently lodged in 664 relief camps. Belagavi continues to remain the worst affected district in the state. Other districts witnessing considerable damage to life and property include Kodagu, Shivamogga, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Udupi, Dakshina and Uttara Kannada. The CMO has pegged the losses incurred at Rs 5,000 crore. Initial estimates have found that 3. 75 lakh hectares of crops, 14,000 houses and 478 km of power lines have been damaged. This is in addition 1,410 km of roads, 211 bridges, 10 minor irrigation tanks, 4,019 government buildings, 92 water supply infrastructure, 2,575 electrical poles and four sanitation structures were damaged in Belagavi district alone. In Dharwad, 413 km of roads, 47 bridges/culverts, 19 tanks, 71 canals,158 government building have been damaged. Damages in the coastal and central districts are yet to be ascertained. There have been multiple road blockages across the state, especially in the central districts, which have disconnected road and rail networks from Bengaluru.  Read: Karnataka floods: Full list of trains and buses cancelled or diverted on Saturday Due to excess rainfall in the Cauvery catchment area, many tributaries have flooded their banks prompting district officials to move people to safety in Mysuru and surrounding districts.  According to the Indian Meteorological Center, heavy rainfall warning was issued on Saturday morning. There will be scattered heavy to very heavy rain with isolated extremely heavy fall all across coastal Karnataka, Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu and Shivamogga districts on Saturday. Isolated heavy to very heavy rain with isolated extremely heavy falls is likely to occur in Dharwad and Haveri district of North Interior Karnataka. Heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places in Mandya, Mysuru and Chamarajanagara districts of South Interior Karnataka.   IMD predicts scattered heavy to very heavy rain with isolated extremely heavy falls across coastal Karnataka and Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu and Shivamogga districts for Sunday. Heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places in Belagavi, Dharwad and Haveri, districts of North Interior Karnataka and Mandya, Mysuru and Chamarajanagara districts of South Interior Karnataka on Sunday.     

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Monuments classified as World Heritage by UNESCO inundated in Karnataka floods

Karnataka Floods

Water from the Naviluteertha Dam was released on Friday, leading to the inundation of monuments in Aihole and Pattadakal.

TNM Staff

Temple in Pattadakal

Unabated rainfall in Karnataka’s Bagalakot district has inundated UNESCO World Heritage temples in Aihole and Pattadakal. Water from the Naviluteertha Dam was released into the Malaprabha River on Friday, which led to the inundation of the heritage temples. Pattadakal is located 23 km away from Badami and Aihole at a distance of 35 km from the popular tourist destination. The monuments located in Aihole and Pattadakal were built by the Chalukyas between the 6th and 8th century CE.   According to Bagalakot Deputy Commissioner Ramachandran, the nine Hindu temples and a Jain sanctuary built by the Chalukyas in Pattadakal were inundated on Friday and continued to flood on Saturday. “The Virupaksha Temple, was built in 740 CE by Queen Lokamahadevi to commemorate her husband's victory over southern kingdoms. This is the biggest tourist attraction here. Waterlogging is up to 5 ft above ground level currently,” DC Ramachandran added. Two cave temples and 12 other heritage temples in Aihole too were inundated. “So far we don’t have any human casualty in the district. There are some animal deaths. We have three rivers— Ghataprabha, Malaprabha and Krishna— all three have flooded their banks. Approximately till now, 70,000 people have been evacuated from low lying areas to safety,” Lokesh, SP of Bagalkot told TNM. DC Ramachandran says that the waterlogging at the heritage sites is dangerous if the situation persists as the water could erode the rocks used to build the temple. “So far 100 families have been trapped in Pattadakal’s Shirabadagi village close to the heritage structures. We have evacuated everyone from Aihole. The NDRF team tried to rescue them on Friday but they were unable to navigate the boats in Pattadakal. We requested the Indian Air Force to airlift the people who are trapped. We were not even able to give them food packets,” DC Ramachandran said. However, the stranded persons were successfully rescued on Saturday.      

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Over 1,000 people in Mysuru shifted to relief camps, water from 4 reservoirs released

Karnataka Floods

Of the four, Kabini, Takara and Nugu reservoirs have overflown and over 2 lakh cusecs of water is currently being released.

TNM Staff

Nanjangud in Mysuru

Heavy downpour in Karnataka’s Mysuru district inundated several taluks including Nanjangud, Heggadadevana Kote and Hunsur on Friday. The rains continued on Saturday morning as well. According to the Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Abhiram D Shankar, the Kabini, Takara and Nugu reservoirs overflowed and over 2 lakh cusecs of water is currently being released due to the incessant rainfall. The Mysuru-Ooty Road has been shut as the road near Mallanamoola was inundated on Saturday morning. The bus routes have been diverted via Varuna-Kuppagalu and then to Tarooru. The Hejjige, Rampura and Suttur bridges in Nanjangud taluk were completely inundated, thereby cutting off connectivity in the region. Nanjangud town, Halladakere, Topabeedi and surrounding areas were completely inundated. Deputy Commissioner Abhiram says that 34 acres of land and 102 homes were destroyed due to the floods. Seven relief camps have been set up in Girija Marriage Hall, Seetarama Marriage Hall, Bokkahalli, Saraswati Colony, Nanjangud Primary School, Chokkahalli government school, Janaki Rama Temple and Veerashaiva Mutt, and 617 people have been shifted out. Read: Karnataka floods: Full list of trains and buses cancelled or diverted on Saturday In Heggadadevana Kote, 433 acres of crops have been lost due to the outflow of water from the Kabini reservoir. Roads between Handpost-Saraguru and HD Kote-Mysuru have been shut. “Between HD Kote and Mysuru, the bridges in Haikere and Matakere villages have been submerged and hence the road has been shut,” DC Abhiram told TNM. In addition, the roads to Tumbasogu, Maadaapura, Chekkooru, Hommarahalli and MC Talalu have been shut as the Hosakote bridge has been submerged. The Shivalli-Kollagowdanahalli-Handpost road has been shut as well. Three relief camps have been set up in HD Kote, where 358 people have been shifted out of their homes. Hunsur taluk in Mysuru was also flooded as the water from the Taraka dam was released on Friday. The Hanagudu-Bellana-Hosahalli road has been shut, cutting off connectivity to Abbooru, Nilavaagilu and Shindenahalli villages. Roads between Hunsur-Hanagud and Hanagudu-Kirangoodu have also been shut. Six relief camps have been set up in Hunsur where the flood victims have been shifted. In wake of heavy rainfall, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus services between Mysuru and Madikeri and from Mysuru to HD Kote were suspended, As on Saturday morning, the outflow in the Kabini reservoir was 1,02,083 cusecs, outflow in Harangi Dam was 15,000 cusecs, 4,900 cusecs from the Taraka Dam and 9,300 cusecs from the Nugu Dam.  Meanwhile, the Krishna Raja Sagar Dam officials have issued a flood alert and requested those living in the periphery of the reservoir to evacuate. The KRS Dam level as on Saturday is at 108 ft and will reach full storage once it hits 124 ft.  Read: Heavy to extremely heavy rainfall forecast in 7 Karnataka districts till Sunday morning    

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‘How can we outrun water?': Shivamogga residents evacuated amidst relentless rain

Floods

15 relief camps have been opened to shelter over 2,500 people across the district.

Prajwal Bhat

Friday started like any other day for Rahman and his family, residents of Mandakki Batti colony. Rahman ekes out a living by selling puffed rice but in the last two days, he admits, talk of his business has ceased in his household. "The water level on our street was steadily rising so we concentrated our efforts on collecting all the important papers and family photos in our house so that we are ready to move at a moment's notice," he says, before adding, "We had made plans in advance but how can we outrun water?" As the rains continued to lash in Shivamogga and water entered his house, Rahman's family of eight decided to shift to the relief camp that had opened in a Ram temple near their house. The family's plight is similar to hundreds of people living in low-lying areas in Shivamogga city and other parts of the district after unrelenting rains prompted district authorities to intensify evacuation efforts and open relief camps in the district. Relief camps opened 15 relief camps have been opened - 7 in Shivamogga, 6 in Soraba, 1 in Bhadravati and 1 in Theerthahalli. More than 2500 people are currently sheltered in the relief camps.  Three villages in Soraba taluk - Shakunahalli, Ballibailu and Thuvilikoppa - are marooned and residents have been evacuated while those residing in Hosanagara and Theerthahalli are grappling with rising water levels. 60 villages have been affected and more than 340 houses have been damaged due to the rains. "We began rescue operations in Shivamogga and Sagar today but waterlogging on the route connecting villages is hampering our efforts. This is stagnant water and we are using boats to rescue people in these areas," explained Vinay Kedar, a Civil Defence official part of a 10-member team involved in rescue operations.  One death was reported on Thursday after 65-year-old Rathnamma was washed away in the waters. This was the only death reported on Thursday Water-logging hampers rescue efforts Water-logging has blocked roads connecting Theerthahalli and Shivamogga, Hosanagara and Udupi, Shikaripura and Anantpura, and Soraba and Jade. The highest rainfall was reported in Hosanagara (230 mm) and the red warning issued in the district has been extended up to Sunday. Even though Shivamogga district receives ample rainfall every year, residents agree that this year's rainfall has been relentless and fierce, battering the villages along the Western Ghats.  "We shifted around 150 people to a relief camp at the Ramana Shetty park as soon as we heard that water was entering people's houses. We are providing basic health care and two kits - one with kitchen items like rice and oil, and another with items like bedsheets, towels," says Manjanna SG, a volunteer. Despite having the basic necessities, Rahman and his family are unsure if they can return to their home and begin rebuilding their lives. "It rains every year here but this is not the case every year. If the municipal corporation does not make plans to prevent waterlogging in low-lying areas, this will occur every time there are rains", warns Rahman. With more rains expected, district officials requested a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team to conduct rescue operations in the district. The NDRF team is currently on stand-by.  Further cause for worry is the conditions at the Tunga and Linganamakki reservoir. While water levels at the Tunga reservoir have reached maximum capacity, the water levels at the Linganamakki reservoir has crossed 1,800 feet. The maximum limit of the reservoir is 1819 feet.  Civil Defence personnel will conduct rescue operations in Thadagadale near Sagar on Saturday. "We are hoping that the rain recedes and we are able to reach villages by road itself," added Vinay.  It is a hope shared by district officials, who have declared Saturday as a holiday, but expect the deputy commissioner's office to be a hive of activity to ensure that the rains and floods do not lead to further casualties.

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Karnataka floods: Full list of trains and buses cancelled or diverted on Saturday

Disaster

Continuous rains and landslides reported in several areas have affected transport services in Karnataka.

Soumya Chatterjee

Incessant rains in Karnataka have triggered landslides, blocking roads in the state that connect major cities within and outside the state. As of Saturday morning, fresh landslides were reported at Doddakoppalu near Marenahalli on Friday night. Vehicles moving towards Dharmasthala and Mangaluru were sent back to Sakleshpur due to heavy rains as further landslides are expected. The government has advised that vehicles lined from Gundya side towards Bengaluru be recalled. All bus routes through Shiradi Ghat will be closed for vehicles till Sunday morning until further notice.  Bus routes from Bengaluru to Sringeri, Koppa, Mudigere, Sakleshpur, Horanadu, Kalsa, Sringeri, Sakleshpur, Dharmasthala, Mangaluru, Sultan batteri, Kozhikode and Thrissur are closed.  Read: Karnataka floods: Death toll climbs to 16, more than 2 lakh people evacuated There are roadblocks on Sagar-Honnavar Road as well, due to heavy rain and landslides at Mavinagundi. The Mysuru-Nanjangud Road continues to remain blocked with all vehicles deviated through Narasipur.  Uppinangadi-Nelyadi road is also blocked near Kuttelu, the Dharmasthala-Mangaluru road is blocked near Chakrabetta and the Chitradurga-Shivamogga road is blocked near Holehonnur. Bus services towards Kushalnagar and Madikeri have been stopped as the road connecting Ramanathapura-Konanur is also blocked. Roadblocks near Keralapura has prompted services towards KR Nagar and Mysuru to be operated via Rudrapatna. There are no services towards Kangal due to the roadblock in Kattepura.  Holenarasipura-Channarayapatna road is also blocked with vehicles being operated via Agrahara. Tungabhadra river backwaters have been flooded and this has resulted in roads getting blocked at Harihar and surrounding villages. Sarathi-Chikkabidari, Harihar-Tavaragundi, Harihar-Ukkadagathri routes are closed as no alternative routes are there. These blockages have caused more than 20 KSRTC buses to be halted abruptly. Aid and relief have been provided to the passengers with the help of local administration.  Due to landslides on railway tracks and the flooding, the South Western Railways have also had to suspend operations on many routes.  Here is the list of cancellations and partial cancellations: 1) T. No 56276 Mysuru-Talaguppa Passenger and 56275 Talaguppa-Mysuru Passenger is partially cancelled between Shivamogga and Talaguppa. 2) T. No 20651 Bengaluru-Talaguppa Express and 20652 Talaguppa- Bangalore Express partially cancelled between Sagar Jambagaru-Talaguppa. 3) T. No 50405  Miraj Londa-Castle Rock Passenger and Belagavi- Castle Rock Passenger cancelled between Belagavi-Castle Rock.  5) T. No 16589 Bengaluru City Junction (Bengaluru) to Kolhapur partially cancelled from Miraj Junction Rani and Chennamma Express – 16590 – C Shahumharaj T to Bengaluru City Junction cancelled between Miraj and Kolhapur. 6) T. No 12630 Karnataka Sampark Kranti Express (Via Hubballi) is diverted via Manmad Junction-Rayadurg route The following trains will be short terminated. 1.Train No.20651/20652 Journey Commencing 09.08.19 and 10.09.19 will be partially cancelled between Sagar Jambugagaru-Talaguppa 2.57275/56276 Journey Commencing on 09.08.19 and 10.08.19 will be partially cancelled between Shivamogga Town - Talaguppa 3.16227/16228  Journey Commencing on 09.08.19 will be partially cancelled between Shivamogga Town- Talaguppa.  4.16542 Pandharpur Bangalore express will stop at all stations from Hubballi to Arsikere due to cancellation of .56916/56915 UBL-JRU passenger. Also read: Heavy rains in Karnataka; Full list of trains and routes affected

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Karnataka floods: Cops lathicharge flood-hit locals who stalled CM BSY’s convoy

Controversy

Many have taken to social media to criticise the Chief Minister for continuing to sit inside his car while the police were taking action against protesters.

Harsha Raj Gatty

In the backdrop of massive flooding in North Karnataka, locals who blocked Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's convoy were lathicharged and driven away by the police. On a tour of flood-hit areas, the Chief Minister was visiting Konnur taluk in Gadag district on Friday. A video doing the rounds on social media shows a large number of villagers surrounding the Chief Minister’s car. They had reportedly wished to convey their grievances. The police, who failed to control the crowds, reportedly chased them away with lathi-charge. Police officers escorting the convoy are seen using ropes to hold the crowds back. In a scuffle that broke out between the police and the protesters, officers are seen beating a few men. One cop is seen beating a protester twice with the lathi. Friday: Flood affected people protest when CM BS Yediyurappa visited their marooned village Konnur in Gadag district. Police lathi charge them in front of CM #Karnatakaflood pic.twitter.com/2bFzq8ckvp — Soumya Chatterjee (@Csoumya21) August 10, 2019 The Chief Minister has drawn flak for the incident; many have taken to social media to criticise him for continuing to sit inside his car with no efforts to stop the police from taking action against the people. Chief Minister Yediyurappa had visited Belagavi district on Friday morning to review the flood situation following which he visited Gadag for a review. The people, who had come to meet the Chief Minister, have lost their houses and fields due to floods and hoped for relief funds from the government. Rains and resultant floods continue to wreak havoc in Karnataka's northern and coastal districts. 19 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, 2 State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and 11 columns of Army have been deployed to rescue people. More than 1.5 lakh people have been evacuated from low-lying areas. More than 90,000 people have been shifted to the 467 relief camps opened in eight districts. Officials of the Indian Coast Guard, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy are also positioned in the flood-affected areas. Receiving no respite, on Friday, the Met Department warned that there would be extremely heavy rainfall in isolated places in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Belagavi, Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu and Shivamogga.   Content provided by https://ift.tt/2TkGHmv and Scribes Media Ventures LLP)   Read:  Karnataka floods: Death toll climbs to 16, more than 2 lakh people evacuated How a group of eight locals rescued people stuck in flooded homes in Kodagu

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