K’taka floods: Toll goes up to 65

Bengaluru, 17 August 2019 [Fik/News Sources]: The toll in rain-related incidents in flood-hit Karnataka went up to 65 on Friday with the recovery of three more bodies even as relief and rehabilitation work is underway, officials said on Friday.

While 14 people are still classified as missing, nearly seven lakh people have been evacuated till date.

The state government said inflows into reservoirs have reduced and the situation has improved in affected districts of north, coastal and Malnad regions, where the rain fury had created mayhem in the last couple of weeks.

North Interior Karnataka received light to moderate rain in the past 24 hours, while Coastal and Malnad received widespread with moderate rains and at isolated places heavy rains, an official release said.

The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) forecast said light to moderate rains are most likely over North Interior Karnataka for the next three days, while Coastal and Malnad region are most likely to receive widespread with moderate rains and at isolated places heavy rains for the next two days.

Officials said relief operations were being constantly monitored by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and the Chief Secretary.

The Chief Minister on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and urged him to release funds immediately to take up relief works in flood and rain ravaged state.

Responding to his appeal, Prime Minister assured that a central study team would soon be sent to assess the damage due to the floods, the Chief Minister said in the national capital after the meeting, adding that the estimated loss was over Rs 40,000 crore.

As many as 849 relief camps are operational, where clean drinking water, food and other relief materials are being provided to 3,20,106 people, an official release said.

It said 103 taluks in 22 districts have been affected by floods and incessant rains over the past few days,resulting in loss of agriculture and horticulture crops on 6.9 lakh hectares and damaging 74,374 houses.