Flood-like situation continues in several parts of Karnataka

Karnataka Rains 2020

A red alert was issued in four Karnataka districts - Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru.

TNM Staff

Minor landslide in Chikkamagaluru

Swollen rivers and flood like situation continues to threaten lives and property in several parts of Karnataka that have been ravaged by torrential rains over the last few days. Though there has been a respite from the downpour in some parts, rivers continue to flow above the danger mark, inundating low lying areas in several parts of Malnad, coastal and interior Karnataka. A red alert was issued in four Karnataka districts - Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru - by the Indian Meteorological Department. An orange alert was issued in Hassan and Uttara Kannada districts. In Dakshina Kannada, heavy rains have submerged several areas in Bantwala and Belthangady, among others, with the Netravati river overflowing and also water being released from nearby dams. A pick-up truck was swept away in flooding waters in Uppinangady in Dakshina Kannada but no loss of life was reported.  Visuals of a pick-up truck washed away by flooding in Uppinangady, Dakshina Kannada. Heavy rains and flooding reported in parts of Bantwal and Puttur taluks but no loss of life reported. Hope it stays that way. pic.twitter.com/NGrjUABuwz — Prajwal (@prajwalmanipal) August 8, 2020 Officials said incessant rains in Cauvery river catchment areas have led to increased inflow in the Krishna Raja Sagara dam in Mandya district. Water is being released from it and people living in low lying areas have been warned, they said. There is also a flood like situation in Najanagudu and nearby areas of Mysuru as the swollen Kapila river has inundated roads connecting Ooty in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, with water being released from Kabini dam. Bhagamandala, Kodagu There has been some respite from heavy rains in certain parts of Kodagu, which has been ravaged by floods and landslides. However several areas of the district continue to be in deluge with the Cauvery and Lakshmana Tirtha rivers overflowing due to rains in the hilly areas. Landslides were reported in several areas of the district. A major landslide in Talacauvery on Thursday had left 5 people including the chief priest of the Talacauvery temple missing. On Saturday, one missing person was found dead - Anandatheertha Swami, the brother of the chief priest and the administrator of the Talacauvery and Bhagamandala temples. He was a fierce environmentalist who campaigned for the protection of the Cauvery river and the forests of the Western Ghats in his lifetime.  Read: Anandatheertha Swami, who died in Kodagu landslide, was devoted to river Cauvery The search for the four other missing persons will continue on Sunday as bad weather led to the search efforts being called off early. There are also reports of landslides at a few places in Charmadi ghat region of Chikkamagaluru and the road connecting to Dakshina Kannada has been closed temporarily. Though Belagavi district has had some respite from the heavy rains, flood like situation continues to persist as the Krishna river and its tributaries are swollen due to continued inflows because of rains in neighbouring Maharashtra. Some areas and roads in the district's Chikkodi and Nippani are inundated.. A minor landslide was reported in Devalamakki village in Karwar taluk of Uttara Kannada. No loss of life was reported however the mud from the landslide affected crops in the area.  Inflow has also increased to the Tungabhadra dam in Hosapete of Ballari district due to rains in the catchment areas of Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru. The state government has released Rs 50 crore for emergency relief and has announced Rs 10,000 as immediate relief each to affected families. An amount of Rs 5 lakh has been announced for completely damaged houses, while in the case of partially damaged ones, relief will be distributed considering the extent of damage. Inputs from PTI

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/31y6fAT
via IFTTT

Mangaluru airport says they stop flight landings on tabletop runway during heavy rains

Plane Crash

The manager said that flight operations are not allowed because visibility is poor and the chances of skidding are more.

IANS

Premnath Kudva/CC-BY-SA

The state-run Mangaluru international airport at Bajpe in coastal Karnataka does not allow flight operations during heavy rains, owing to poor visibility thereby preventing planes from skidding, an official said on Saturday. In 2010, in the Mangaluru air crash of Boeing flight 812 from Dubai, of the 160 passengers and six crew members on board, 158 were killed (all crew members and 152 passengers) while only eight survived. "As our airport is also built on the hillside with a table-top runway, flight operations are not allowed during heavy rains, as visibility will be poor and chance of skidding on the runway is more," Mangaluru airport manager VV Rao told IANS. Mangaluru is about 360km west of the Karnataka capital Bengaluru. Rao's observation came in the light of an Air India Express Boeing 737 from Dubai crash landing at the Kozhikode airport in neighbouring Kerala on Friday night after skidding on the table-top runway amid heavy rains, claiming 18 lives, including its 2 pilots. "In fact, an Indigo flight from Bengaluru earlier in the day was not given permission to land at our airport as it was raining heavily and visibility was poor though we have the instrumentation landing facility," said Rao. As the rainy season brings in heavy showers and are intense with gusty winds during the southwest monsoon from June to September every year especially on the west coast, the DGCA (Director General Civil Aviation) does not allow flight operations when it rains heavily at the Bajpe airport since an Air India Express Being 737-800 crashed on May 22, 2010, claiming 158 lives.  "The state-run Airport Authority of India (AAI) has implemented a slew of recommendations of the civil aviation regulator (DGCA) made on the basis of the inquiry report into the 2010 plane crash to ensure smooth take-off and safe landing of passenger and cargo aircraft on domestic and overseas routes," recalled Rao. Before the Covid-19 induced lockdown was enforced on March 25 and extended since then, suspending passenger flights, the Mangaluru airport used to operate 30 flights daily, including 10 from overseas destinations like the UAE. "Though regular domestic and overseas flights remain suspended due to the pandemic, we have been operating cargo and chartered flights even during the lockdown, including repatriation flights from the UAE by Air India Express to bring back stranded Indians and returnees under the Vande Bharat mission, launched by the central government," Rao pointed out. The Kozhikode air crash on Friday night, however, brought back memories of a similar crash at the Mangaluru airport over a decade ago, as both have table-top runway. Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told reporters at Kozhikode on Saturday that it was too early to compare the Friday air crash with that of the Mangaluru plane crash though both involved Air India Express Boeing 737 and were from Dubai and both overshot the table-top runway. "Table top is everywhere. It is true that it poses a challenge to pilots. We have to wait for the investigation report on the crash. Though we learnt a lesson from the Mangaluru crash, it is too early to compare the latest crash with the mishap 10 years ago," Puri told reporters after inspecting the crash site near the Kozhikode airport. The Boeing which crashed at Kozhiode on Friday is 13 years old and was delivered to the Air India subsidiary in 2006. According to the green NGO Environment Support Group (ESG) coordinator Leo Saldhana, the Mangaluru air crash was a fallout of criminal negligence of planning and regulatory authorities. "It was no accident, but a direct result of failure of officials in the DGCA, AAI, the Union civil aviation ministry and the Karnataka government for allowing the parallel taxi tarmac to be built on a table-top runway," said Saldhana.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2Dwa3KU
via IFTTT

Anandatheertha Swami, who died in Kodagu landslide, was devoted to river Cauvery

Death

The administrator of the Talacauvery and Bhagamandala temples, Anandatheertha was involved in saving the Western Ghats and the Kaveri from human encroachments and destruction.

KA Shaji

Anandatheertha Swami

For the people who are obsessed passionately and irreversibly with River Cauvery, regular trips to Talacauvery are integral. A temple to Goddess Kaveri, which is also dedicated to Shiva as Agasthyeswara and Ganesha, overlooks the ancient tank there that collects water from a nearby wild spring. For devotees, the tank is the origin of the east-flowing river of peninsular India. As per legend, the river disappears at its birthplace only to take a rebirth at Bhagamandala, located a little away in the foothills. It was on a September evening about a decade ago that I met Swami Anandatheertha,76, for the first time. The meeting was followed by a long conversation about the mighty river, the lifeline of vast stretches of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. There were many conversations since then and each gave me the impression that I was talking to a living encyclopaedia, not just on the Cauvery but on all the rivers on earth. It was this school-teacher-turned-sage who took me on another occasion to a different forest location in the hills to show the exact origin of the river, which not many are aware of. Having lived in Mumbai for long and worked there as a school teacher, Anandatheertha returned to his native place three decades ago to become the traditional trustee and administrator of the temples in Talacauvery and Bhagamandala. He had a spartan life in a small house in Talacauvery, located in the Brahmagiri ranges of the Western Ghats at an elevation of 1,341 m. Anandatheertha lived along with his sister and her husband, who was the chief priest of the temple. A scholar with strong social and political concerns, Anandatheertha was a hardcore secular. He lived a life of intense commitment to the river and the surrounding forests. In the 1980s, he was among the members of the Save Western Ghats March, a major environmental protection initiative involving scientists, anthropologists, sociologists, activists, journalists and local communities. He marched together with others for 100 days along the length of the ghats highlighting the socio-ecological challenges the area grappled with. He had actively engaged with almost all attempts to save the Western Ghats and the Cauvery from human encroachments and destruction. He travelled extensively across the length and width of the river urging local communities to save the river as their lifeline. He found comfort in the role of a low-profile environmentalist with extreme devotion to the cause. Landslide in Talacauvery, Kodagu As journalist and filmmaker OK Johnny, who authored Kaveriyodoppam Ente Yathrakal (Journeys along Cauvery), rightly pointed out, Anandatheertha was always anxious about the fate of the Cauvery which is extremely polluted and has been almost destroyed. Except for the little stretch in his small locality, the river is now on its deathbed. For Anandatheertha, the Western Ghats and the river were integral to his existence. In a way, he always spoke in the river’s voice. In Talacauvery, Anandatheertha shared many legends about the place. It was the place where Sage Agastya was blessed by Brahma, Vishnu and Ganesha while meditating under the ashwaththa tree. It was at the Brahmagiri peak that the saptarishis or the seven great sages performed their yajna or ritual sacrifices. Anandatheertha also spoke about Lord Brahma’s daughter Lopamudra who was later rechristened Kaveri and eventually transudated herself into a river to serve humankind. But now everything is a fond memory. On Thursday, Anandatheertha failed to turn up at the Talacauvery temple along with the chief priest to conduct the morning rituals. One of the security guards at the temple then went to check and found the priest’s house buried fully in mud. He soon alerted the district authorities, who later confirmed officially the massive landslide that wreaked havoc in Talacauvery. The development officer of the local gram panchayat had issued notices to Anandatheertha directing him and the head priest’s family to shift from the place as their house was at the foot of the hill and the hill was prone to landslides. However, Anandatheertha decided to stay. Even the cowshed he had with over 20 bovines was buried deep in mounds of mud and rubble. According to Kodagu district commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy, the area surrounding the priest’s houses is now inaccessible. Flooding in Bhagamandala, Kodagu In the incessant rains, a portion of the Brahmagiri Hill, about 30 acres collapsed on the two houses on Thursday morning in which Anandatheertha and the priest were living. Anandatheertha's sister Shantha Narayana (68), her husband and temple’s head priest TS Narayana Achar (70) and relatives Ravikiran Bhat and Pavan Bhat are currently missing. It was during the last monsoon that the Geological Survey of India (GSI) had predicted the possibility of landslides in Talacauvery, in the close vicinity of the temple, after detecting surface cracks. The GSI had conducted extensive field study in Kodagu after the two subsequent floods since 2018 and found slope modification without proper precautions as the major cause of landslides. Unbridled construction of houses by carving into the hill slopes has resulted in land destabilisation in the Talacauvery region. Unsupported slope cuts for road widening also contributed to the present tragedy. A spiritual leader who always expressed concern over the change in land use patterns in the Brahmagiri Hills and the mushrooming illegal constructions has now become its victim along with four of his relatives. He was always against large scale capital investments to convert Talacauvery into a concrete jungle in the name of spiritual tourism. The encyclopaedia on rivers is no more. His attempts to save the river and its supporting forest stretches have also gone in vain. KA Shaji is a Thiruvananthapuram-based freelance writer.

Body 2: 

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

Karnataka scraps mandatory institutional quarantine for international travellers

Coronavirus

Until now, international returnees were subjected to seven days of institutional quarantine but this rule has now been changed.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka government on Friday tweaked its quarantine requirements and has dropped the seven-day institutional quarantine for international travellers. Until now, international returnees had to go through seven days of institutional quarantine, with the exception of those above 60 years of age, children under the age of 10, pregnant women and people with terminal illnesses who were allowed to self-isolate at home. But this rule has now been changed. Asymptomatic international returnees to Karnataka will undergo a 14-day home quarantine instead.  Those who are symptomatic will be sent to COVID-19 centres for testing. Their swabs will be taken, one for the rapid antigen test and two others (throat and nasopharyngeal) for the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test. Those who test positive for the antigen test will either be asked to go for home isolation or will be shifted to a hospital for treatment depending on their condition.  Even those who test negative for the rapid antigen test will have to take the RT-PCR test. After this is found to be negative as well, the travellers will be advised 14-day home quarantine. But if they test positive, they could be shifted to a hospital treating COVID-19 patients.  The cost of the tests will be borne by the passengers and it will be Rs 700 for a rapid antigen test and Rs 2,000 for an RT-PCR test. Business or short-term travellers, students writing examinations in Karnataka, and those who are carrying a negative RT-PCR report will be exempted from quarantine norms. Those who are landing in Karnataka and travelling to other states will be allowed to proceed if they are asymptomatic. The orders were issued by Karnataka's Health Secretary Jawaid Akhtar on Friday and are effective immediately, replacing previous government orders.  Karnataka currently has over 77,000 active COVID-19 cases of which 33,308 are in Bengaluru. 

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/31APwwK
via IFTTT

Karnataka CM monitors flood situation from hospital, relief works stepped up

Karnataka Rains 2020

CM Yediyurappa has instructed the Chief Secretary to proceed with emergency measures without waiting for his approval, the CMO said in a statement.

TNM Staff

PTI

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa who is undergoing treatment for COVID-19 infection in the hospital, spoke to Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar over telephone and took stock of the flood situation in the state. He instructed that the Chief Secretary can proceed with emergency measures without waiting for his approval, the CMO said in a statement. "On Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's directions to state chief secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar, emergency measures have been taken to step up rescue and relief works in rain-cum-flood hit districts across the state," an official of the state disaster management said. Flood-like situation and landslides continue to cause havoc in several parts of Karnataka that has been battered by torrential rains. Many places in Malnad, coastal and north interior regions of the state have been affected by the deluge, putting life and properties at risk. The chief priest of the Talacauvery temple - Narayana Achar - and his family are among the missing persons following the landslide in Kodagu. Heavy rains, gusty winds and poor visibility hampered the search operation, as the approach road in the ghat section is blocked with boulders and mounds of mud after the landslide. An excavator cleared the tracts of mud piled up on the road leading from Bhagamandala to Talacauvery on Friday.  "The chief minister also spoke to Kodagu district in-charge minister V. Somanna on the search operation to locate the five persons missing after their house collapsed in the landslide on the Brahmagiri hill following landslide on Wednesday night," the official added.  Flood-like situation persists in the border regions of Belagavi district, with rising water levels in Krishna river and its tributaries due to rains in ghat areas of Maharashtra and water being released from the dams there. Adding to this, the district too has been receiving rains, inundating low lying areas and crops. In Uttara Kannada and Shivamogga districts also, there is a similar situation of swollen rivers and inundation of low lying areas. Water is being released from several dams in the state including Alamatti and Kabini by opening the gates as inflow has increased. Tungabhadra dam in Hosapete has reached the brim. There have been reports of mudslides near Botlappa and other places in Kodagu, and also along Charmadi ghat near Chikkamagaluru and Dakshina Kannada. Noting that there is heavy rain in the catchment area of K R Sagara reservoir and water level is rising to a full storage level, authorities have said there is likelihood of releasing surplus water and it may be increased any moment. "Hence all the people living on both banks of the river and on the low lying area of river Cauvery are hereby cautioned to move to safer places and take all precautionary measures for safety and security of their lives and property," a flood warning message by Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited said. Heavy rains in Hassan district especially in the Hemavathi river catchment area has led to an increase in water level at the reservoir in Gorur. Also Yagachi reservoir in Belur is receiving heavy inflow due to downpour in Mudigere taluk. Swollen Hemavathi river and rains in the district have caused damage to houses and roads, so people living in low lying areas are being shifted, Hassan district incharge Minister K Gopalaiah said, adding mudslides have been reported in Sakleshpur. According to the Met Department forecast for the next 24 hours, extremely heavy rainfall is likely to occur at isolated places over south interior Karnataka and heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur at isolated places over coastal Karnataka.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/33Fm2kg
via IFTTT

Hope fades, no trace of Talacauvery temple priest and family missing in landslide

Landslide

On Thursday, a devastating landslide swept away Talacauvery temple priest Narayana Achar's house.

Prajwal Bhat

Bhagamandala, Kodagu

Search operations to look for the five missing persons trapped after a landslide in Kodagu began on Friday after an excavator cleared the path from Bhagamandala to Talacauvery, the site of the landslide.The missing people include the chief priest of the Talacauvery temple Narayana Achar (70), his wife Shantha (70), brother Anandatheertha Swami (87) and two assistants — Ravi Kiran (26) and Srinivas (30). Search efforts to look for them were initially hampered on Friday due to floods cutting off road access to the affected area. A devastating landslide swept away Narayana Achar's house on Thursday morning and left five persons missing including his family members in Talacauvery. According to local residents, Narayana Achar wanted district authorities in Kodagu to build a retaining wall near his house before the monsoon period. But district authorities told TNM that there were no proposals to build retaining walls in the area and that they had urged residents to vacate to safer locations.  "A crack had developed in the Brahmagiri hill one year ago and geologists had advised residents living in the foothills to vacate to safer areas. Notices were issued to the residents including the priest and the last notice was issued 2-3 days before the landslide," Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Annies Joy said.     Read: Talacauvery temple priest and family still missing after landslide in Kodagu "The panchayat development officer had informed the priest months ago to leave the house for a safer location. Few others like me had also told him to leave the place until the rains subside but he was reluctant. He felt attached to the place because he was the priest in the Talacauvery temple and did not want to walk long distances to reach the temple," says Ravi Kalana, a resident of Bhagamandala. The Talacauvery temple is dedicated to Goddess Kaveri and it overlooks a tank where water collects from a nearby spring. The ancient tank is considered as the origin of the Cauvery river by devotees. Anandatheertha and Narayana Achar were respected members of the Kodagu community. Anandatheertha had worked as a school teacher in Mumbai before returning to Kodagu three decades ago. He was the traditional trustee and administrator of temples in Talacauvery and Bhagamandala. Following the landslide on Thursday, search efforts were hampered by a lack of access to the landslide area. Ravi Kalana says it was nearly impossible to search the area affected by the landslide. This meant that excavators, which are needed to move the earth in the landslide affected area, could not be transported to Talacauvery.  Deputy Commissioner Annies Joy gave a grim prognosis when asked about the progress of the search efforts. She said that it will be difficult to begin the search till the rains abate. She added that the first task is to clear the path till Talacauvery from Bhagamandala and transport the excavator to the spot.  This is the third straight year landslides are affecting Kodagu district. Devastating landslides, mostly in Somwarpet and Madikeri taluks, left 18 people dead and over 7000 people displaced in 2018. Landslides in Thora and Bhagamandala left 18 more people dead in 2019. In Thora, search efforts for missing persons were called off 24 days after the landslide struck.   

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/3km7bRx
via IFTTT

Two yrs and waiting: Defence firm asks K’taka govt to resolve delay in plot allotment

Infrastructure

It has been two years since ADD Engineering Components (India) Pvt Ltd applied for a plot of land near Bengaluru but the application is yet to be considered.

TNM Staff

@SPOKESPERSONMOD Image for representation

It has been two years since ADD Engineering Components (India) Private Limited applied for a plot of land at the Nelamangala Industrial Area near Bengaluru to establish its manufacturing unit but the company officials have grown tired of the long wait for their application to be considered.  The company provides high-end cutting tools to other companies including Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) project but are now considering taking their manufacturing unit to other states after growing weary of the delay in starting operations in Karnataka. “We are waiting it out despite receiving proposals to start our manufacturing unit in Andhra Pradesh since we want to set up our manufacturing unit in Karnataka and be able to bring industries to the state," said ADD Engineering Components (India) Private Limited Director Girish Linganna. The application for a plot application is pending with the Karnataka Small Scale industrial Development Corporation (KSSIDC) and Girish says that after two years of delay, he was informed that the plot of land was held up with legal issues.  "We are not particular about where the land is located but we would prefer it to be close to Bengaluru," Girish adds. KSSIDC officials expressed helplessness in the delay in allotment of plots to companies in the Nelamangala Industrial Estate. An official said that there were legal hurdles and many companies like ADD Engineering Components were waiting for land to be allotted. He said that in this particular case, land could be allotted at Gauribidanur but that is not something the company is keen on since it is 90 km away from HAL.  Girish says there are sites in Kumbalgodu and Mysuru Road which are better alternatives. In August 2018, the company wrote to the then Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the Defence Investor Cell, which provides information including addressing queries related to investment opportunities in the defence sector. Despite receiving a recommendation from the Defence Investor Cell, Girish says KSSIDC is yet to take action on the allotment of land.  "This is my last attempt to get the land allotted. There are many policies by the government to woo investors but there is a lack of proactiveness to follow up and resolve issues. If the land is not allotted, I will be seeking alternatives in other states," Girish says. 

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/31wLLZ9
via IFTTT