Photos: Heavy rains lash Karnataka, flooding and landslides reported

Weather

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has asked ministers-in-charge of districts to stay in their respective districts as the state braces for more rains.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has asked ministers-in-charge of various districts in the state to stay in their respective districts as the state grapples with heavy rainfall which has resulted in flooding and landslides in several areas. There were reports of overflowing rivers and flooding of low-lying areas in northern districts of Belagavi and Ballari, and landslides were reported in Chikkamagaluru and Kodagu in the Malnad region of the state.  Kodagu received 117 mm of rainfall during the last 24 hours, resulting in rivers overflowing and flooding low-lying areas and submerging low level-road bridges. The landslide in Brahmagiri hills near Talacauvery in Kodagu swept away two houses in the early hours of Thursday morning. Four persons are missing including a local priest Narayana Achar and his family members. Search efforts are underway to look for the missing persons after personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) reached the spot.  Talacauvery temple on the foothills of Brahmagiri was also inundated with rain water overflowing from Bhagamandala river, which is the source of river Cauvery in the rich bio-diverse Western Ghats. Very heavy and widespread rains were reported in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada districts in the coast region, and in Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga, Hassan and Haveri in the state's Malnad region as the southwest monsoon advanced and remained active. Minor landslide in Kodagu Ballari, Karnataka Chikkodi, Belagavi, Karnataka The state government has already released Rs 50 crore for flood relief efforts in Karnataka while the Opposition led by former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has asked the government to set up shelters to house residents who are at risk due to the heavy rains.  The state disaster management centre has sounded a red alert in the coastal, central and south interior areas in south Karnataka due to heavy rains and flooding. The state is bracing for further rains till the end of the week.  

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/33AVAIi
via IFTTT

Heavy rain in Karnataka's Kodagu causes landslide, four persons missing

Landslide

A priest at a local temple and his family are among the missing persons.

Prajwal Bhat

A landslide occurred in Brahmagiri Hills near Talacauvery in Kodagu district of Karnataka in the early hours of Thursday morning, sweeping away two houses and leaving four people, including a local temple priest, missing  The landslide took place after days of heavy rainfall in the Western Ghats region. Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy confirmed that a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) responded to calls made by residents near the affected area. "It is near Talacauvery but the road has a lot of landslides and the NDRF team is clearing the landslides on their way as they reach the spot," Annies Kanmani Joy told TNM. The disaster response team reached the spot of the landslide on Thursday afternoon and are now coordinating search efforts.  The Deputy Commissioner confirmed that four persons,  including a local temple priest, are missing after the landslide. "We know of four missing persons in the area including a temple priest," the DC added.  Visuals from the landslide near Talacauvery in Kodagu, Karnataka. Search efforts are underway to find four missing people - a local priest Narayana Achar and his family. pic.twitter.com/BwnSsjaUOy — Prajwal (@prajwalmanipal) August 6, 2020 The missing priest is the chief priest of a temple in Talacauvery - Narayana Achar. His wife, brother and another person from the area are among the missing persons and rescue efforts are underway to search for them. So far, one landslide has been reported in Brahmagiri Hills near Talacauvery. This region did not report landslides in the last two years. In 2018, landslides struck mostly in Somwarpet and Madikeri taluks of the district while landslides occurred in the district's southern part - in and around Virajpet taluk - in 2019. The disaster in 2018 left 18 people dead and more than 7,000 people displaced. Earlier this week, the Indian Meteorological Department predicted rainfall in coastal and Malnad regions of Karnataka and attributed it to a monsoon trough.  Kutta village in Kodagu district's Virajpet taluk received the highest rainfall(389.5 mm) in the state in the last 24 hours. Heavy rainfall was reported in Virajpet and Madikeri taluks of the district with rainfall measuring between 115 to 204 mm. 

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/3igIRhU
via IFTTT

13902 containment zones in Bengaluru, east zone had most recoveries in 24 hrs

Coronavirus

Bengaluru south, which has the highest number of active containment zones at 3,821, also has the most that have returned to normal at 3,350.

TNM Staff

Image for representation/PTI

Bengaluru reported 1,852 new containment zones on Wednesday, taking the total number of active ones in the city to 13,902. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the city, a total of 24,826 containment zones have been identified till date and 13,902 have returned to normal status, according to the August 5 War Room bulletin released by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Bengaluru south has the highest number of active containment zones with 3,820, followed by east zone (2,931), and west (1,501). In all the number of containment zones that have returned to normal status in the city is 10,924. Apart from the west zone, all zones in Bengaluru have a higher number of active containment zones than the ones that have returned to normal status. West zone has 2,065 zones that have returned to normal and 1,501 active containment zones. As of August 5, 22,842 apartments in the city had been reported as containment zones till date, as have 1,918 apartment complexes, 23 slum areas, and one hotel. 42 clusters – an aggregation of COVID-19 cases which are epidemiologically linked – have been identified in Bengaluru so far. In the last 24 hours, Bengaluru reported 1,848 new coronavirus patients, taking the tally of active cases to 30,960. East zone reported a majority of these new cases (23%), followed by south and west zones (17% each), Bommanahalli (15%), Mahadevapura (10%), RR Nagara (8%), Yelahanka (6%) and Dasarahalli (4%). In the last ten days, however, it is the west zone that has reported a quarter of coronavirus patients in Bengaluru (25%) – the highest among the city’s zones – followed by south (21%) and east (20%) zones. The east zone also reported the highest number of recovered in a single day on Wednesday, with 682 people having recovered from COVID-19. South and west zones reported 618 and 537 recoveries each. In total, Bengaluru had reported 3,083 discharges in the last 24 hours. Out of the 198 wards in Bengaluru, 54 have reported between 11-30 cases in the last 24 hours, and over 186 wards have reported more than 100 COVID-19 cases since the outbreak started in the city. Till date, the age group of 20 to 30-year-old has reported the highest number of coronavirus infections – around 9,000 – followed by the age group of 30 to 40. The latter group, however, has a higher number of recoveries at nearly 4,500, followed by the 40-50 age group and then by 20-30 age group. In the last 24 hours, the 20-29 age group saw the highest COVID-19 cases in the city (428) followed by the 30 to 39 age group (421). According to the BBMP War Room Report from August 5, the recovery and active rate in Bengaluru is 50% each, and the positivity rate is 17.81%. 

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/3gB0OaH
via IFTTT

Karnataka CM releases Rs 50 crore for flood relief works in the state

Floods

"The CM has ordered immediate release of Rs 50 crore for emergency rescue and relief works in the districts lashed by heavy rains and floods," a secretariat official said.

IANS

PTI/File photo

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has released Rs 50 crore for rescue and relief works in heavy rain-cum-flood-hit districts across the state, an official said on Wednesday. "The Chief Minister has ordered immediate release of Rs 50 crore for emergency rescue and relief works in the districts lashed by heavy rains and floods," a secretariat official told IANS in Bengaluru. With the southwest monsoon intensifying and advancing across the state, the Meteorological Department issued a red alert for most of the state, as heavy to widespread rains have been forecast till Friday. Steady inflow of rainwater in catchment areas has led to major reservoirs across Krishna, Tunga, Bhadra and Cauvery rivers filling up to their brims. "Flood warning has been issued to the downstream villages in Mysuru district after 40,000 cusecs of water was released from Kabini dam at Beechanahali in H.D. Kote taluk into the Cauvery river," said the official. While the dam's maximum capacity is 2284 feet, heavy rains led to its water level reaching 2280 feet. Though Yediyurappa is under treatment at a private Bengaluru hospital after testing positive for coronavirus on August 2, he has been active and working from the hospital. "The Chief Minister also directed the Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar to review the situation and instructed the Deputy Commissioners of the affected districts to ensure safety of the people and their property," the official said. "Heavy rains with gusty winds lashed coastal and Malnad regions, resulting in low-lying areas flooding, streams, ponds and lakes overflowing and disrupting normal life," a state disaster management authority official told IANS in Bengaluru. Heavy rainfall in Kodagu district caused a flood threat in the area. Bhagamandala and Talacauvery, which is the source of Cauvery, have filled up to the brim with heavy inflows. "Due to heavy rain in the region, the inflow of water to Harangi reservoir has increased, forcing the authorities to release 5,500 cusecs into the river," the official added. According to the weather bulletin, Kottigehara in Chikkamagaluru district received 310 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours, followed by 230 mm at Madikeri in Kodagu, 220 mm at Hosanaga and 210 mm at Agumbe in Shivamogga, 200 mm at Londa in Belgavi and at Manchikere in Uttara Kannada district.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/3ieEDaQ
via IFTTT

MLAs and MPs choosing pvt hospitals over govt ones is a farce, former Speaker intv

Interview

Ramesh Kumar brought in amendments that allow for reimbursement of private hospital bills for elected representatives only if the required facilities are not available in government hospitals.

Pooja Prasanna

Just days after BS Yediyurappa and Siddaramaiah, after testing positive for coronavirus, got admitted to a private hospital in Bengaluru, former Karnataka Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar, in an interview to TNM, berated their decision to not get treated at a government hospital. He also questioned the propriety of elected representatives who choose private hospitals for treatment. “On one side, you want to make heavy investments in government hospitals, and on the other, you promote the growth of private hospitals. You are allowing government ministers, MLAs and others to get treated at private hospitals. And you even reimburse them. And this facility is not extended to a common man or a poor man. Don't you think this is just a farce?” questioned the former Health Minister of Karnataka. Not just in Karnataka, across the country, politicians who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 have been admitted to private hospitals, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is currently receiving treatment at Gurugram's Medanta Hospital. “Why have government hospitals been denigrated to the present condition is the moot question. And we have consciously promoted the growth of private hospitals. A public health institution must have all the required adequate infrastructure and facilities to stand by a citizen,” Ramesh Kumar added. In 2017, as the Health Minister in the Siddaramaiah cabinet, Ramesh Kumar had moved a bill to make amendments to the existing Karnataka Private Medical Establishments Act to bring private medical establishments under the government purview. After some clauses regarding the imprisonment of doctors were omitted from the Bill, in November 2019, a voice vote ensured the passage of the bill on the floor of the Karnataka Assembly. Amongst other things, the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (Amendment) Bill, 2017, sought to regulate cost in private hospitals, have a patient's grievance redressal mechanism and ensure that elected representatives and government employees who are eligible for reimbursement of medical charges from the government get treated primarily in government hospitals. “The law was amended and rules were framed in 2018. But they (the government) are not implementing it. Have you repealed the law or have you deliberately decided to ignore it? If the government ignores the law then who will implement it?" asks Ramesh Kumar. “The law says that we (government servants) have to first go to a government hospital first. If a particular treatment is not available there and the same is available in a private hospital then we should take an endorsement from the government hospital and then get treated at the private hospital. Only then the government can foot the bill. In case of an emergency, like a heart attack or a haemorrhage or an accident, there is a provision under law that they can go to the closest available hospital immediately, ensure the patient survives, and once the patient is stable, then he can come back to the government hospital. And only for that interim period, the government will make the payment of the private hospital.” In 2014, Kannada actor and the then Housing Minister MH Ambareesh had received treatment at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore and the total expense for the same, Rs 1.14 crores, was borne by the state exchequer. “The government servants and other legislators are mostly going to private hospitals and getting the reimbursements from the government. Then why did you bring in the law? I am only talking about the policy. We have been chosen by ordinary people. They have stood in a queue to vote for us. So it is our duty to stand by them because we are the representatives. And today, I want to ask who we really represent. I want to get treated in a private hospital but the man who stood in the queue to vote me to power has to go to a government hospital,” said Ramesh Kumar. Ramesh Kumar ends by saying that elected representatives and bureaucrats have become intellectually corrupt. "What we preach to people, we do not intend to practice when it comes to us. From the Chief Secretary to the Governor, everybody is the same," he concluded.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/30uVXSI
via IFTTT

Bengaluru reports 1484 new COVID-19 cases, 3083 patients recovered

Coronavirus

In Karnataka, while 5,407 persons were discharged following recovery, 74,958 patients are currently undergoing treatment for coronavirus.

Soumya Chatterjee

Bengaluru reported 1,848 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday. With a total of 3,083 people discharged following their recovery, the total number of active cases in the city stands at 30,960. The city reported 28 new deaths. With this, the total number of deaths related to COVID-19 went up to 1,163 in Bengaluru.Statewide daily cases rose by 5,619. While 5,407 persons were discharged following recovery, 73,958 patients are currently undergoing treatment for coronavirus in the state. Other districts reported more than 100 cases on Wednesday: Ballari (631), Belagavi (293), Mysuru (261), Davanagere (224), Dharwad (199), Kalaburagi (197), Udupi (173), Koppal (154), Dakshina Kannada (149), Bagalkote (149), Hassan (137), Chikkaballapura (129), Uttara Kannada (125), Mandya (123) and Bengaluru Rural (110). A total of 100 new deaths were reported in Karnataka in 24 hours. With this, the COVID-19 death toll in the state rose to 2,804. Among the deaths, 11 patients did not have illnesses, including severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) or influenza-like illness (ILI) patients. A total of 29 victims were below the age of 60 years. Twenty-five patients who died due to COVID-19 did not have any comorbidity. Most of the deceased patients had hypertension, diabetes and chronic kidney diseases. Among the active patients undergoing treatment in the state, a total of 620 persons are being treated in the intensive care unit (ICU). Among these, 337 are from Bengaluru while Dharwad has 39 patients in ICU. Kalaburagi and Hassan (21 each) have more than 20 patients undergoing treatment in ICU. The media bulletin on Wednesday evening said that a total of 38,095 tests were conducted in 24 hours, of which 17,607 were tested through RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction), CB-NAAT and TrueNat test kits while 20,488 antigen tests were conducted.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/3a4c1xZ
via IFTTT

The story of Bengaluru’s first streetlight which lit up the city 115 years ago

History

The who's who of Bengaluru at the time had gathered to usher in a new era.

Prajwal Bhat

Photographs provided by Mansoor Ali

The time was 6.30 pm and it was the first week of August in 1905. The who's who of Bengaluru at the time had gathered near the Delhi Gate (close to present day Victoria Hospital). JW Mears, the electrical adviser to the government of India, Colonel PH Benson (after whom Benson Town is named) and Dewan PN Krishnamurthi, the then dewan of Mysore, were among those present.  The occasion was the installation of the first streetlight in Bengaluru, replacing the kerosene lamps which dotted the city's centre and introducing electric streetlights for the first time in southern India.  According to Meera Iyer, author of ‘Discovering Bengaluru: History. Neighbourhoods. Walks’, the oldest and still functioning hydroelectric plant was established near Darjeeling in 1896 and it was the Cauvery Falls Power Scheme that was the next project to get the nod. The idea came from Major ACJ de Lotbiniere who worked for the Mysore kingdom. A hydroelectric power station was set up in Shivanasamudra near Mysuru in 1902 and the power scheme began powering the mining operations in Kolar Gold Fields, 150 km away.  At the time it was built, it was India's second hydroelectric power project after the one set up near Darjeeling.  The dewan of Mysore then decided to harness the power from Shivanasamudra to provide electricity to Bengaluru, which still used kerosene lamps that needed to be cleaned regularly to remove the collection of black soot.  After a redrawing of the plans at the last minute, the city was ready to be electrified for the first time in August 1905. Meera Iyer, quoting the Daily Post newspaper's archived copy in the state archives in Mysuru, says that the inauguration took place on August 3. Even though several reports suggest that the inauguration took place on August 5, a  newspaper clipping shows an article titled 'Electric lighting for the city' published on August 4 depicting the events of the inauguration which took place a day prior. “There was a ceremony with a tent erected to celebrate the occasion. Residents who came from the Cantonment area celebrated the occasion but it was not until a few years later that they got electric lights in their streets. But this day in 1905 was the start of the electric age,” says Meera, speaking to TNM. Photograph of Russel Market Gajanana Sharma, a former employee of the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited who penned the book ‘Belakayitu Karnataka’, says that the street light came up close to where Victoria Hospital is currently located. “The substation was set up close to Delhi Gate near Victoria Hospital. It was the area of the fort at the time and the KR Market as we know it now was not there,” Gajanana tells TNM. He says that the urban legend that it was ‘Asia's first streetlight’ is not true.  It was Sir John Hewett, a member of the Viceroy's council who was in Mysore at the time on matters related to the Commerce and Industries Department, who threw the switch on, lighting up 104 lamps outside the substation near Victoria Hospital. There is now no trace of the transformer house near Delhi Gate where Hewett turned the switch on, but there is a Karnataka Power Corporation transformer a few hundred metres from the old fort.  The power station itself was moved to Anand Rao Circle in the 1920s before a slew of changes took place in the city. Even a century later, power problems persist in the city but the electric age dawned 115 years ago with flick of a switch. 

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2DDV9Sw
via IFTTT