Since June 1, many parts of Karnataka have seen heavy rainfall, causing five deaths in Belagavi district and two in Bagalkote district due to flooding. Heavy rainfall triggered landslides in the Western Ghats in the southern part of the state, disrupting rail and road connectivity.
The state had disbursed a total amount of Rs 512.83 crore as gratuitous relief to over 17 lakh families across the state until August 6, Monday, according to official data.
The state had disbursed the money to 17,88,664 families across the state at the rate of Rs 2874 per family. The districts with the highest number of flood-affected families included Belagavi, Hassan, Tumakuru, Kalaburagi, Bidar and Haveri.
According to official data, since June 1, 98 taluks in 21 districts in the state received excess rainfall, while 10 received normal rain. Tumakuru, Chamarajnagara, Mandya, Hassan, Belagavi, Msyuru, received more than 50% excess rainfall than normal.
Visiting flood-affected villages in Kagwad taluk in Belagavi district on Monday, August 6, Siddaramaiah said that the government would call a meeting of all MLAs of the district to discuss permanent relocation of villages that get inundated year after year. He said that around 3,000 families in Shahpur, Gangavati and Joogula villages see flooding every monsoon and there is a demand for a permanent solution.
Around 46 villages in Belagavi were inundated, affecting over 10,000 people. The district administration had opened 54 relief centres, but the number has now reduced after flood waters receded.
The CM said that crops on around 41,706 hectares of land have been damaged, and 372 hectares of horticultural crop damage has been reported. Siddaramaiah said that a survey of crop damage has already been ordered and compensation would be given after it is completed.
Siddaramaiah also said that 48 houses in the district have been completely damaged and 950 have been partially damaged. Siddaramaiah said that while the NDRF norms say partially damaged houses should be given Rs 6,500, the state government is providing a total of Rs 50,000 for each partially damaged house.
According to data from the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, Belagavi district received 34% more than normal rainfall since the start of the monsoon. In July, the district received around 88% more rain than normal and around 27% above normal in the first week of August up to August 6.
In Bagalkote, the district administration had opened 23 relief centres when around 20 villages in Bagalkote flooded, but currently 12 centres are functioning, providing shelter to 1,350 people in Jamkhandi taluk.
While rainfall is not heavy in Bagalkote, parts of the district get inundated whenever rains are heavy in the Western Ghats in Maharashtra, which leads to heavy inflows in the Krishna, Ghataprabha and Malaprabha rivers. Water is released from dams upstream, causing flooding in parts of the district.
Flooding was uncommon in Bagalkot district occurring every few years such as in 2005 and 2009. However, from 2019 onwards, flooding has been almost an annual affair in the district.