Two more people had died in rain-related incidents in Karnataka’s Kodagu district on Sunday, The Hindu reported. Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said 12 people have died in the state since August 14. Heavy rain lashed the district on Monday morning after the intensity had subsided on Sunday, according to ANI.
An official of the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority told IANS that the rescue work has entered its final stage and 4,320 people have been rescued so far. “The 4,320 who have been rescued have been shifted to 41 relief camps in the district,” The News Minute quoted the official as saying. The state’s emergency operation centre did not receive any distress call on Monday, said the official.
Teams of the Indian Navy, integrated with the National Disaster Response Force and the civil administration, have rescued 67 people from Kallur and Devasur villages in Kodagu so far, reported ANI. Two rescue teams with two Gemini craft have also been deployed in Kodagu since August 17 by the Karnataka Naval Area.
Both the district administration and rescue teams are searching for 50 persons reportedly missing in the district, according to The News Minute.
Kumaraswamy said 41 relief centres have been set up in Kodagu and nine in Dakshina Kannada. Around 6,620 people have taken shelter in relief camps. “Action has already been initiated to erect temporary sheds in the next 10 days,” he said at a press conference.
He also announced an interim relief of Rs 3,800 to every family living in relief centres. Kumaraswamy said 123 km of roads have been damaged and that the “Public Works Department is taking up restoration on a war footing”. Five teams of doctors have been deployed to prevent spread of contagious diseases. He conducted an aerial survey of Kodagu to assess the flood situation.
The India Meteorological Department has predicted a “generally cloudy sky with heavy rain” in the district on Monday, followed by only “a few spells of rain” from Tuesday. The district borders Kerala, which is facing its worst floods in a century.
District authorities have asked all tourist services to stop operations till August 31 as rescue operations after heavy rain and floods continue, The News Minute reported on Monday. Deputy Commissioner PI Sreevidya also asked hotels, resorts, lodges, home stays and tourist homes to cancel bookings till August 31.
Sreevidya said the district administration had rescued 181 people from various locations and was running 41 government relief camps, ANI reported.
More than 3,500 people have been rescued so far, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy had said on Sunday after a two-day visit to the flood-affected areas. “It was heart-wrenching to see the extent of devastation,” Kumaraswamy said. He had conducted aerial surveys of the rescue operations on Saturday and Sunday.
The National Highway 275 has been damaged at six places between Jodupala Junction and Madikeri, The Hindu reported. Repair work may take at least six months, authorities said. The connectivity on a 15-km stretch is cut off because of landslips. Clearance work is under way at a railway track between Sakleshpur and Mangaluru, ANI reported.
As many as 123 roads, 278 government buildings and 3,800 electrical poles or transformers have been damaged in Kodagu, according to the Bangalore Mirror. Much of the rescue work – “90%” – is complete and fewer than 200 are still feared trapped, the police told The News Minute.
Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu, a flood alert was sounded for 13 districts, including the Cauvery delta regions, PTI reported. Nearly 14,000 people have been moved to relief camps across the state, officials said. Chief Minister K Palaniswami inspected affected areas on Sunday and assured compensation for crop loss due to the floods.
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