The southwest monsoon which had battered Karnataka about a month ago is back again after a brief respite. The situation in the state following four days of torrential rain is grim. Around 21 people have died, 13 districts in the state were seriously affected, rivers are in spate and hundreds of villages inundated by flood waters.

The government has pegged financial losses due to floods at Rs 1,000 crore. The Sharavati is overflowing and water in the Linganamakki dam is reportedly nearing the danger mark. Authorities are considering releasing the dam’s excess waters and this will mean that the flood situation downstream will worsen.

People living in villages along the banks of the Sharavati have been warned and asked to move to safer places. Incessant rains have made Bhagamandala in Kodagu district a virtual island. It is reportedly the fifth time this year that this town has been cut off from the rest of the state. Last week, vast swathes of North India, Nepal and Bangladesh were inundated in what was described as the worst flood in living memory.

The floods affected the lives of about 30 million people across India, 10 million of them in Bihar alone. But a pause in the monsoons in the northern part of the sub-continent early this week has allowed flood waters to recede, providing millions of people some respite. It is now the turn of southwestern and western India to face the monsoon’s fury again.

The Karnataka government has asked the Centre for more funds to implement relief and rehabilitation work. More money is indeed needed. However, the government should ensure that the crores of rupees being allotted for rehabilitation reaches the genuine victims of floods, not officials and politicians looking to make money out of this disaster.

Food, clean drinking water, medicines, temporary housing and toilet facilities are urgently required in the flood-hit areas and the government should monitor relief efforts to ensure this is being provided. Aerial surveys by politicians will not by themselves improve the provision of relief to the victims.

Rains this year have been heavy. But there is no reason why every time there is a heavy downpour it has to result in flooding and disaster. One of the aims of a multi-purpose dam is to prevent floods. Why is this aim not being met? Experts need to find out flaws in the existing system and address them to prevent future natural disasters.