Heavy rain battered Kodagu’s 32 gram panchayats; 10,000 saved

BENGALURU: With the sky clear and the torrential rain taking a welcome break, the damage on the ground in Kodagu district has started appearing clearer. Authorities on Tuesday said the district’s 32 gram panchayats bore the brunt of the heavy rain in the past week, and at least 10,000 people were either rescued from marooned areas or shifted to relief camps in coordinated operations conducted by multiple agencies drawn from the state and the Centre.
The Karnataka government has asked the district administration to prepare a detailed report on the total loss in the three taluks ravaged by rain, flooding and landslide incidents.
Thousands of residents who helplessly watched floodwaters gushing into their properties are now gingerly trooping back in the hope of retrieving cash, valuables and documents from what remains of their houses.
Victims to get aid from next week: Minister
Kodagu minister SR Mahesh on Tuesday said 12 gram panchayats each in Madikeri and Somwarpet, and eight in Virajpet took the maximum hit in the rain havoc. “Even if the government must spend Rs 1,000 crore to rebuild Kodagu, there are no second thoughts (about the exercise),” he said.
He said chief minister HD Kumaraswamy will hand out the initial compensation of foodgrains and Rs 3,800 to each flood-affected family from next week.
According to public works minister HD Revanna, the primary challenge is to rebuild roads and bridge. At least 1,660km of state and national highways came under water and rendered unmotorable. Besides Kodagu, the worst-hit districts are Dakshina Kannada, Hassan and Chikkamagaluru.
The losses on road infrastructure have touched Rs 950 crore. Public works department officials said 50 bridges require immediate restoration. The flood-like situation has also eased in Mysuru, Hassan and Mandya as the outflow from the four major reservoirs has come down.
A police officer said they will send out eight drones to the affected areas to find out if any more victims are still stranded in Kodagu district.