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Karnataka denies AP charge over water woes

Last Updated 04 October 2009, 19:22 IST

Water Resources Minister Basvaraj Bommai said: “Water released by us was controlled and regulated whereas measures taken by Andhra were not appropriate.”

The unprecedented rain and the consequent flood swamped entire towns and villages, setting off landslides and leaving behind destroyed houses, overturned vehicles, road covered in mud and debris.

Roadways, railways and bridges were washed out, leaving small towns islands in the wilderness. This is the horrific picture that has emerged from most of the region’s districts where, despite a combination of rudimentary preparation and mitigation measures, high death tolls and destruction persist.

Landslide victims

As many as 170 people have perished, over 204,270 of homesteads washed away and 355,000 rendered homeless. Rescue and relief workers said only two of the 21 bodies of people, feared buried alive in a landslide in Karwar, were recovered on Sunday.

The Indian Air Force continued to airdrop food packets and the Narendra Modi government in Gujarat responded to the State’s plight, rushing 14 rescue teams to some of the flood-ravaged districts. From Bangalore, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike decided to distribute food packets and blankets to some of the worst-hit districts.
The scale and extent of the devastation caused across 14 districts has stretched the State Government’s rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts. It appealed to the people of the state to donate funds generously for relief and rehabilitation of those affected by the flood.

Relief camps

As many as 1,211 relief camps in 12 badly affected districts have been opened to provide succour and shelter to the thousands who have fled their inundated villages. Two units of the National Disaster Relief Force, each comprising 150 personnel with 73 boats, have been deployed in the affected areas.

Defence personnel  are conducting rescue operations with the help of eight helicopters.
In addition, the services of the 1,100 Karnataka State Reserve Police  personnel are being utilised, Home Minister V S Acharya and Law Minister Suresh Kumar told reporters after a high level meeting in Bangalore on Sunday.

DH News Service

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(Published 04 October 2009, 19:22 IST)

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