Karnataka floods cause Rs 10,000 cr damage, toll 139
Rescue teams and seven hovercraft were pressed into service, but weren't enough. There was a shortage of lifejackets too.
By TNN |
BANGALORE: Much of the rain that brought northern and parts of coastal Karnataka under water had tapered off by late Saturday but 14 districts were still reeling under the deluge. The toll stood at 139 even as the raging waters left villages marooned and thousands stranded.
Rescue teams and seven hovercraft were pressed into service, but weren't enough. There was a shortage of lifejackets too. "Helicopters could rescue only about 150 people," S M Jaamdar, nodal officer for the rescue operations, said. Although the damage to crops and property is still to be assessed, the loss is estimated to be in the region of Rs 10,000 crore.
It's for the first time in 60 years that the perennially drought-prone districts of north Karnataka have seen such flood fury. Weather experts say the persistent presence of cyclonic winds over the Bay of Bengal and their movement towards the Deccan Plateau are the reasons for the heavy downpour in the districts. "The winds have been circulating at a height of six to seven km in the atmosphere and have been carrying moisture," a Met official in Bangalore said.
The worst affected by the downpour and floods were parts of Bijapur, Gulbarga and Raichur districts through which flow the rivers Krishna and Tungabhadra along with their tributaries.
Meanwhile, tragedy struck at Hiremagi village in Hungund taluk of Bagalkot district when some youths, followed by two children, jumped off the rescue boat as it tossed around in choppy waters. Two women who tried to save them were also washed away.
It may be long before the damage is tallied, but the floods have wreaked havoc on standing kharif crops. Arid crops like tur, sunflower, bajra, groundnut and cotton in the affected areas have been either washed away or have lost life due to water retention. Besides, buses and trains across the districts have been cancelled and communication lines aren't normal.
The Karnataka government has released a sum of Rs 100 crore for relief and rescue work but has decided to petition the Centre to treat this as a national disaster.
Rescue teams and seven hovercraft were pressed into service, but weren't enough. There was a shortage of lifejackets too. "Helicopters could rescue only about 150 people," S M Jaamdar, nodal officer for the rescue operations, said. Although the damage to crops and property is still to be assessed, the loss is estimated to be in the region of Rs 10,000 crore.
It's for the first time in 60 years that the perennially drought-prone districts of north Karnataka have seen such flood fury. Weather experts say the persistent presence of cyclonic winds over the Bay of Bengal and their movement towards the Deccan Plateau are the reasons for the heavy downpour in the districts. "The winds have been circulating at a height of six to seven km in the atmosphere and have been carrying moisture," a Met official in Bangalore said.
The worst affected by the downpour and floods were parts of Bijapur, Gulbarga and Raichur districts through which flow the rivers Krishna and Tungabhadra along with their tributaries.
Meanwhile, tragedy struck at Hiremagi village in Hungund taluk of Bagalkot district when some youths, followed by two children, jumped off the rescue boat as it tossed around in choppy waters. Two women who tried to save them were also washed away.
It may be long before the damage is tallied, but the floods have wreaked havoc on standing kharif crops. Arid crops like tur, sunflower, bajra, groundnut and cotton in the affected areas have been either washed away or have lost life due to water retention. Besides, buses and trains across the districts have been cancelled and communication lines aren't normal.
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The Karnataka government has released a sum of Rs 100 crore for relief and rescue work but has decided to petition the Centre to treat this as a national disaster.
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