Karnataka govt announces Rs 5 lakh compensation each to flood-hit families

Karnataka Rains

"Provisionally, Rs 10,000 will be paid as advance relief to the affected families from Monday night," CM Yediyurappa told reporters at a relief centre at Belthangady.

IANS

Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Monday announced Rs 5 lakh compensation for each family, which lost its house due to landslides and floods in 17 of the state's 30 districts. "Rs 5 lakh will be given to each family whose house has been damaged due to landslides and floods. Provisionally, Rs 10,000 will be paid as advance relief to the affected families from Monday night," Yediyurappa told reporters at a relief centre at Belthangady. The state government will also give Rs 5,000 as monthly house rent allowance to the affected families till their damaged houses are repaired and new houses built soon. With no let-up in moderate to heavy rainfall on Monday, as forecast by the weather office ahead, normal life remained disrupted in the coastal, central and northwest regions due to flooding and overflowing lakes and rivers, with schools and colleges shut, markets closed, and roads damaged. "I hope the situation in the flood-ravaged districts will start improving in the next couple of days, as rain water recedes and their levels dip in villages and towns," said the Chief Minister after visiting Dakshina Kannada and Kodagu districts in the southern region. According to an official of the Chief Minister's Office in Bengaluru, the toll in rain and flood-related incidents has gone up to 42 with a dozen missing in the affected regions. "In the 17-affected districts and 80 talukas (local bodies), people in 2,694 villages bore the brunt of the rain fury and devastation caused by floods, strong winds and trail of death and destruction," said the official. State and National Disaster Response Forces, the Army, Navy and Air Force and fire and emergency brigades rescued 5,81,887 people from flood-hit areas, while 3,32629 people have been sheltered at 1,181 relief camps. Of the 50,595 animals rescued, 32,305 have been moved to camps in higher and safer places, while 548 livestock were lost due to flooding and drowning. "The crop loss is estimated to be 4,21,514 hectares while 31,800 houses have been damaged," added the official.

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With rains reducing, a district-wise lowdown on current situation in north Karnataka

Floods

: Heavy rainfall had been predicted over isolated areas in Belagavi, Dharwad and Haveri districts for Monday, but the districts received less than 2mm.

Soumya Chatterjee

Relief and restoration work by district administrations is in full swing in flood-affected areas in north Karnataka, as the rains have reduced considerably over the last 24 hours. Heavy rains lashed the state from August 4 and claimed 40 lives till Sunday night across the state. Out of them, 13 were in Belagavi, three were in Bagalkot, three in Dharwad, and one in Haveri. What to expect Rainfall data of the Karnataka State Disaster Monitoring Centre showed that Belagavi, which is the worst-affected region till now, received only 3.5 mm of rains on Sunday. Neighboring Bagalokote and Vijaypura received only 0.1 mm of rainfall on average. Even Haveri and Dharwad received only 2.6 mm and 2.1 mm of rainfall respectively. This means all north interior Karnataka districts received less than normal rainfall on Sunday, which helped water levels recede. As the Civil Defense, police, Army, SDRF and NDRF continue to help the district administrations, here's a district-wise lowdown of the latest situation in the northern part of Karnataka. Belagavi Other than the local rainfall, release of water from dams in Maharashtra (especially the Koyna dam), worsened the situation in Belagavi as Maharashtra, the upper riparian state, also experienced floods. Laxman Nimbargi, SP of Belagavi district, said, “The focus has now shifted to relief and rehabilitation from rescue. Waters are receding but not drastically. If the weather remains the same, we expect waters to recede even further. We expect that by Monday evening, NH-4 will be cleared, which is flooded now in two places in Nippani.”  “We are prepared in case it rains again. Now, we are operating 300-plus rehabilitation centres which have medical facilities and food supply. There are relief centres across the district, headed by respective taluk level officers. Once the water recedes, only then can we do a full assessment of damage to the houses and crops. Reconstruction and reintegration will be done subsequently,” he added.  Helicopter rescue operations were stopped on Monday, and are now only being used to airdrop food to isolated locations.  Bagalkot Bagalkot has also seen an improvement in condition. Four deaths have been recorded in the district, and senior district officials said that there has been no more loss of life. Deputy Commissioner SB Bomanhalli said, “Water has slowly started receding in Ghataprabha and Malaprabha affected regions. In areas affected by the Krishna river, there has been no significant improvement. But, we have already started post-relief work. We will soon be able to assess the crop loss and damage to property.” Vijayapura “There are no casualties. Water has not started receding. Even though there has been no rain, water is mostly at the same level. But, there are no ongoing rescue operations. We have moved people in all vulnerable areas to safety. The relief centres are running as planned," Vijayapura DC YS Patil told TNM. Patil hopes that the situation will not worsen. "We don't think there will be further aggravation of the situation. The release of water from Koyna dam in Maharashtra, which reaches Almatti, will continue for another 24-48 hours. The water will start receding only after that. Only then can we carry out further assessment of damage," he said.  Dharwad  In Dharwad, the situation has returned to normalcy with regard to rainfall. Water has reduced in most parts of the district, according to officials of the State Emergency Operation Centre. The district administration is assessing the damage to houses and officials have said that adequate compensation will be provided.  Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Shobha Karandlaje visited Hanchinal village of Dharwad along with the district administration to distribute relief materials and assess the degree of damage to crops and property.  Haveri  Union Minister Prahlad Joshi visited the flood-affected areas in Savanur and Shiggaon taluk of Haveri on Monday. Here too, water receded in most parts of the district and restoration work of roads began.  Over 13,000 people from the district are in relief camps. The district has seen one death as a result of the floods. Gadag, Yadgir and Raichur The situation has also improved in the districts of Gadag, Yadgir and Raichur. District administrations have begun road restoration and other infrastructural repairs and the extent of damage is being assessed. “The situation is normal now and there have been no casualties. We don't expect any more flooding at present. Nearly 6 lakh cusecs of water have been released, and the situation is manageable," Additional DC of Yadgir Prakash Rajput told TNM.

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As the water recedes, Shivamogga residents come to grips with damage

Floods

With waters receding, the immediate focus remains on managing relief centres and provide shelter for survivors.

Prajwal Bhat

As the rains reduced in Karnataka's Shivamogga district, residents came to terms with the damage caused in the past week.  It was on Thursday that the water level in the Tunga river reached 28 feet setting off alarm bells for the district administration. The water level is usually at 22-24 feet but within twelve hours between Friday and Saturday, the water rose further to 35 feet prompting district officials to begin evacuations in areas close to the river. "This is unprecedented. As soon as we got information that water may be released, we immediately mobilised teams and sent them to over 35 areas in the city to evacuate people,” Shivamogga City Corporation Commissioner Charulatha Somal told TNM. Twenty-nine boats were pressed into service to rescue around 1,400 people after the rains on Friday made it clear that the Tunga river would overflow and flood low-lying areas of Shivamogga. But the efforts to evacuate people was initially met with resistance. “Many refused to move despite our best efforts and later made SOS calls to us in the middle of the night. They had to be rescued by boat as water levels rose by then,” Charulatha added. The Shivamogga city administration received at least 300 calls asking for help in rescue by Saturday.   When TNM met some of those sheltered in the relief camps, they admitted the initial reluctance by people to move from their homes.  "Announcements were made at night in our area but initially people refused to leave thinking it is unlikely to flood. We receive high rainfall every year. But it was soon clear that this year it was different and the water would rise to a level we have never seen before," Rahman (35), a resident Mandakki Batti, a low lying area in Shivamogga, explained. Officials, responding to the rising water levels, decided to shift Rahman and others affected to relief centres.  A 10-member Civil Defence team was drafted in and rescue efforts were intensified on Friday and Saturday. An NDRF team was also called in for rescue operations in the district. Around 2,500 families were displaced in Shivamogga and so far, there have been no deaths reported in Shivamogga City due to the floods. The district has seen three casualties as a result of the floods. The deaths reported in the district occurred in outlying areas like Hosanagara and Thirthahalli, where rising water levels blocked road connectivity and flooded paddy fields.  Around 150 public buildings were affected in Shivamogga while more than 70 per cent of the city's road drains infrastructure was damaged partially or completely. About two thousand people are camped in 15 relief centers that had opened. Much to the relief of the residents, water levels in the Tunga river receded on Sunday to below 28 feet. Officials in the district are now looking ahead to the arduous task of rebuilding houses and resettling displaced survivors. Officials will now assess the damage and begin dispensing compensation amounts for those who have partially or completely lost their homes. There are also plans to clean public places in the city, provide free health checkups and re-issue lost or damaged documents. But the immediate focus remains on managing relief centers and provide shelter for survivors. Donation centres are seeking a list of items including sanitary pads, warm clothes, towels, shoes among other items.  Donors can reach Sunil (9448525350) to send relief material.

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Karnataka floods: Death toll rises to 8 in Chikkamagaluru, rescue ops underway

Karnataka Floods

Unabated heavy rainfall has lashed the state since August 4, especially in the Malnad region, causing massive floods and landslides.

TNM Staff

The death toll in Karnataka’s Chikkamagaluru district has now risen to eight. Unabated heavy rainfall has lashed the state since August 4, especially in the Malnad region, causing massive floods and landslides. In Chikkamagaluru’s Mudigere, the Hemavathi river overflowed and flooded the entire taluk. Six people died in Mudigere, one person in NR Pura and another in Chikkamagaluru taluk. Nine-year-old Sumanth died after he fell into a stream while walking towards his house located in Mudigere’s Durgadahalli on Saturday. His body was found a few metres from where he fell and was spotted by locals. Srivatsa (21) fell into the Hemavathi river near Jogannanana Kere in Mudigere on Thursday and was found on Sunday. Santhosh (23) went missing after his house collapsed due to a landslide in Marasanige in Mudigere on Friday. His body was found on Saturday by rescue forces deployed in the area. After a landslide washed away their house located at Baluru Horatti in Mudigere, Sheshamma and her son Sathish were found dead. Nagappa Gowda (70) was also a victim of a landslide in Mudhugunda village in Mudigere. Thirty-four-year-old Kumar was electrocuted as a live wire had fallen into the water in NR Pura’s Maluru Dinne village. Chandre Gowda (48) was washed away in the flood water at Koddavalli in Chikkamagaluru district. The death toll in Karnataka has risen to 41 as on Sunday and 14 people are reported missing. Belagavi remained the worst affected district, with 12 people dead and two missing. The hilly district of Kodagu has seen seven deaths, while there have been three deaths each in Shivamogga and Dharwad districts. The flooding in Uttara Kannada claimed four lives and Bagalkot, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Mysuru districts have seen two deaths each. One death has been reported in Haveri. A total of 5.81 lakh people have been evacuated, of which 3.2 lakh people are staying in 1,168 relief camps spread across 17 districts.

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Many bus routes between Bengaluru and coastal Karnataka, Kerala restored

Transport

However, routes within Mysuru district have been affected due to flooding after water was released from the Kabini dam.

Soumya Chatterjee

Representational Image

With rains across Karnataka significantly reducing for the first time since August 4, many bus and road links connecting Bengaluru to destinations in and around the state have been restored. In order to alleviate stranded passengers, KSRTC is running extra services - 47 reserved and 6 unreserved - from Bengaluru. As of Monday afternoon, all major bus routes linking Bengaluru and Mysuru to the coastal parts of Karnataka started running, including on the Bengaluru-Mangaluru route that partially resumed on Sunday afternoon. “We are operating all classes of services to Bengaluru from Mangaluru and vice versa. Day-time services are operating through Shiradi Ghat, and night-time via Madikeri,” a KSRTC official said. All major bus routes to Kerala which were shut partially or fully have also been restored. 25 buses will leave from Bengaluru to different destinations in Kerala throughout Monday. Bus services towards Maharashtra have been restored in full too, except those to and via Kolhapur.  Ghat sections details Schedules from Shivamogga to Mangaluru and Dharmasthala are going via Sringeri through the NR Pura-Koppa road, or via Thirthahalli-Koppa. Buses to Dharmasthala are being deviated at Bajagoli towards Belthagady, from where they will go to Dharmasthala. Routes via Horanadu will not get cleared anytime soon, officials said. Kalasa-Kuduremuka-Kerekatte portions are yet to be cleared as well. Bus services from Chikkamagaluru-Udupi via Charmudi Ghat are not running, and buses are running only via Sringeri, depending on demand. Night-time operations via Shiradi Ghat may be permitted if there are no rain and landslide. The decision will be taken by evening.  Intra-Mysuru routes affected Releasing water from the Kabini dam due to flood conditions in Wayanad has flooded many road links around Mysuru temporarily. The roads that have been blocked are Mysore-Hullahalli, Handpost Road, Mysore-Nanjungud Road, and Mysore-Suttur Road, that has led to the cancellation of intra-district routes. 

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Karnataka cabinet expansion only after August 16 meet with Amit Shah: CM Yediyurappa

Politics

Yediyurappa also stated that the party leaders in Karnataka had informed the BJP high command of the shortlisted candidates for the ministerial posts.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Sunday said that the new Cabinet will be formed after August 16. Speaking to the media at Sambra Airport in Belagavi on Sunday, Yediyurappa said that he would have to discuss the issue with the high command in New Delhi before the list of ministers are announced. “I will be going to Delhi to discuss the flood situation and also to ask for financial assistance on August 16. I will be meeting Amit Shah then and will also discuss the cabinet expansion issue. Right now, the priority is to provide relief to flood affected victims,” Yediyurappa said. The Chief Minister also stated that the party leaders in Karnataka had informed the high command of the shortlisted candidates for the ministerial posts. Yediyurappa can induct a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 33 ministers in the state cabinet, excluding the post of Deputy Chief Minister. When asked whether the state will have a Deputy Chief Minister, Yediyurappa told TNIE, “In the next few days, you will get complete details about my cabinet. All the castes and regions will be taken into consideration and will be given an equal share in the cabinet.” On Saturday, ahead of Amit Shah’s visit to conduct an aerial survey of flood-affected areas, Yediyurappa had told the media that a decision on the cabinet expansion would take place on Sunday. However, the expansion has been pushed to a later date in the wake of the floods. “Amit Shah has asked us to focus on relief and rehabilitation of flood victims until my meeting with him on August 16. Till then, he has asked me to visit all flood affected areas and take stock of the situation,” Yediyurappa added. Criticising Yediyurappa for delaying the expansion of the cabinet, former CM and Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, Siddaramaiah said that Yediyurappa cannot handle the flood crisis alone and needs to immediately expand the cabinet. “Mr. Yediyurappa cannot tackle the current crisis through a solo act, nor he is able to. He should immediately expand his Cabinet and 20 Ministers should be appointed as district in-charge Ministers for the flood-affected districts. This will hasten flood-related welfare programmes. The welfare works are not going on in an expected manner as there are no district in-charge Ministers,” The Hindu quoted him as saying.     

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IMD issues red warning in Karnataka as more heavy rains predicted

Karnataka Floods

Heavy rains have been predicted in coastal, central and southern districts over the next 4-5 days.

IANS

Representation photo

There seems to be no let-up to the monsoon mayhem in Karnataka, with the weather office sounding red alert as more heavy rains are forecast in he coastal, central and southern regions of the state in the coming week, an official said on Sunday. "Red alert has been given as the forecast is heavy to very heavy rains in coastal, central and southern districts of the state over the next 4-5 days due to the southwest monsoon peaking and favourable conditions, including formation of thick clouds and strong wind movement," an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) told IANS here. The districts to be most affected are coastal districts of Dakshin Kannada and Udupi, Chikkamagluru, Hassan and Shivamogga in the central part of the state and Malnad and Kodagu in the south.  "Heavy rain also likely to occur in Belagavi, Dharwad and Haveri districts across the state's northwest region," said the official. Torrential rains lashed all the four regions across the southern state on Sunday too, disrupting normal life, flooding more villages and towns and affecting movement of the people due to severe damage to roads and highways from landslides, fallen trees and overflowing water. "Though the intensity of the rainfall subsided in the northwest region, water released from dams has inundated several areas in Belagavi and Bagalkot districts," said the official. Rescue and relief operations continued to shift 2 lakh displaced people to 370 relief camps and 55,000 livestock from 245 villages in the worst-affected region. Union Home Minister Amit Shah undertook an aerial survey of the northwest districts along with Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and central ministers from the state Pralhad Joshi and Suresh Angadi and reviewed the situation, including rescue and relief works in the region. "Record inflows into reservoirs are coordinated to prevent inundation of downstream areas. Their levels are adjusted to prevent flooding low-lying areas and people from surrounding villages have been evacuated before heavy discharge of rain water," added the official. Joint rescue teams, comprising the Army, the State and National Disaster Response Forces and the state fire and emergency brigades have shifted 5.8 lakh people so far. "Four Indian Air Force (IAF) choppers have been stationed at Belagavi, Bagalkot, Mysuru and Raichur to airlift stranded people, while one Indian Navy chopper has been deployed in Uttara Kannada," said a statement from the Chief Minister's Office. Drinking water, food and other relief materials have been provided in 1,168 relief camps in 17 districts across the affected regions. "The toll in rain and flood-related incidents has gone up to 40 till Sunday, with 14 missing. Of the 5.8 lakh people evacuated, 3,27,354 are staying in the relief camps in 80 taluks of the 17 districts," added the statement. In the 22,028 villages affected, agriculture-cum-horticulture crop loss is estimated to be 4.20 lakh hectares, while the number of houses damaged is 28,325.  

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