Karnataka rain havoc: 44 die, crops damaged in 2 months

BENGALURU: As many as 44 people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents, mainly flashfloods, since the onset of monsoon in Karnataka in June, while crops on 2,632 hectares of land have been damaged, according to revenue department officials.

The monsoon, which began on a not-so-robust note, intensified by June-end and wreaked havoc in July, disrupting normal life in many parts of the state, especially in coastal, Malnad and Mumbai-Karnataka regions. In July, the state received 371mm of rainfall, far outstripping the normal of 255mm. Malnad and coastal regions recorded more than 55% excess rainfall, making it the wettest July in four decades.

At 543, Uttara Kannada sees highest no. of house damages
Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre said of the 44 fatalities in the past two months, landslides and house-collapse incidents account for 50% of the deaths. This includes the landslide in Shirur, Uttara Kannada district, which claimed eight lives. Authorities said three more are missing in the incident.

The extreme weather has resulted in significant property damage. Nearly 600 houses have been completely destroyed, and 4,200 partially damaged. Uttara Kannada witnessed the highest number of houses damaged with 543, followed by Udupi, Hassan and Belagavi districts.

The extent of damage is expected to rise as large tracts of agricultural land in Belagavi, Bagalkot, and Kalaburagi districts have been inundated. These regions are situated along the banks of Krishna, Ghataprabha and Bheema rivers. "These are preliminary numbers, and the extent of damage will be known once the survey is completed," Rashmi Mahesh, principal secretary of revenue (disaster management), told TOI.


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