Central team visits flood-hit districts in Karnataka

Dharwad/ Madikeri/ Gadag: In the wake of people across several districts of the state suffering enormous losses owing to torrential rain in the past few months, an inter-ministerial study team from the central government on Tuesday visited areas that had borne the brunt of the natural calamity to take stock of the damage.
A team headed by the chief of the Directorate of Oil Seeds Development Wing under the Union ministry of agriculture Manoharan and comprising superintendent engineer in the Union ministry of water resources J Guruprasad and Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority divisional manager GS Shrinivas visited the flood-hit areas across Dharwad district.The team inspected the bridge across Tuppari Halla near Harobelawadi village on the Dharwad-Savadatti Road, which was breached following excess rain in the region.
The team also visited villages where farmers had reported loss of crops on hundreds of acres. Green gram and soya bean crops cultivated across hundreds of acres across Dharwad district were washed away in the flood. Dharwad deputy commissioner Nitesh Patil, and officials from the district agriculture and horticulture departments accompanied the members of the central team during the tour. Dharwad Rural MLA Amrut Desai and Savadatti MLA Anand Mamani also participated in the activity.
In a bid to give an accurate picture of the loss to property owing to rain, DC Patil gave a Powerpoint presentation to the central team at the Circuit House in Hubballi. Patil informed the central team that, in all, the district had suffered losses to the tune of Rs 582 crore. The DC said that torrential rain between August 4 and August 8, and again from August 15 to August 18, had wrought untold damage, with farmers incurring severe losses. The team was informed that two people had died owing to the natural calamity.
On the one hand, more than 1,200 houses have been damaged across the district, in addition to several school buildings and other public establishments also suffering structural damage. While agricultural crops across 55,970 hectares have been destroyed in the deluge, horticultural crops across 6,635 hectares have been washed away in the spate across the district. Kalghatgi taluk has suffered the most in terms of losses to farmers, with crops across 18,826 hectares being destroyed.
Damage in Kodagu taken stock of
In Kodagu, where the flood claimed the life of five people, in addition to those of many domestic animals, a central team headed by joint secretary of the Union ministry of home affairs KV Prathap assessed the damage wrought by the calamity. The central team members were accompanied by Kodagu deputy commissioner Anies Kanmani Joy, who gave a Powerpoint presentation at a Madikeri school to provide a comprehensive picture of the toll that the natural calamity had extracted from the hilly district.
She informed the central team that Kodagu had received 1,955mm rain in 2020, adding that landslides, coupled with heavy showers, had wrougt untold damage in the district. With the district continuing to receive rainfall, the members of the team visited Talacauvery amid showers to take stock of the damage caused in the taluk owing to the double jeopardy of rain and landslides. The team also visited Cherangala village. In all, as many as 115 villages across Kodagu district had borne the brunt of the heavy rainfall, while several roads including stretches of highways had been damaged, the central team was told.
Team in Gadag
The central team visited Gadag district to assess the loss caused to crop and property due to heavy rain and floods in the district on Tuesday.
The team comprising Sadanand Babu, superintending engineer, Union ministry of road transport and highways, regional office, Bengaluru, and VP Rajavedhi, under secretary, Union rural development ministry visited Konnur and reviewed the bridge which was destroyed during floods. They sought details from engineers and discussed about remedial measures. They also visited fields where crops like green gram, cotton, maize, gauva have been destroyed.
Later they visited Lakhamapur and reviewed houses damaged after heavy rain. Deputy commissioner Sundaresh Babu said that if all villagers agree, administration is ready to shift the whole village. He further informed, “The district has received rain of 462 mm against usual quantity of 363mm, which is 27% more than normal. A total 14 villages were affected in Nargund and Ron taluks. As many as 17 animals were killed due to lightning and 283 house were damaged. The district has suffered a loss of Rs 158 crore,” he stated.
ZP president Rajugouda Kenchanagoudra, SP Yatish N and other officials were present.