CAG: Karnataka government 'delayed' action plan for flood, landslide risk management

Belagavi: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India’s (CAG) report on Disaster Management in Karnataka has found that the state action plan for flood risk management was brought out only during 2021 (after much delay), and its response under landslide management had been “inadequate.”

The report, tabled on Tuesday in the Legislative Assembly, noted that all state governments were to prepare the flood management plans (FMPs)  as per the guidelines of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) given in January 2008.

“The state government, however, inordinately delayed the preparation of FMP and brought out the Karnataka State Action Plan for Flood Risk Management only during 2021,” the CAG report said. 

The report took further exception, stating that though the State Flood Action Plan had mentioned that the state government had appointed many committees/working groups/task forces, and the details of the institutional support for flood management were either “not mentioned” in the Action Plan or “not furnished” to the audit.

Landslide impact

The report noted that the number of landslides significantly increased since 2016, adding that Dakshina Kannada and Kodagu districts were the most vulnerable and severely affected by landslides since 2018.

“Neither the data on expenditure incurred by the government towards management of land slip hazards over the years nor the details of environmental damage and socio-economic impact thereon, on the farming community in particular, were available with the government.”

The report again flagged the delay in the formulation of the state action plan, noting that though the specific National Landslide Risk Management Strategy (LRMS) was introduced by NDMA in September 2019, the state published the ‘Karnataka State Action Plan: Management of Landslides’ only in 2022.

The report recommended that the state government develop a Comprehensive Landslide Prevention and Mitigation Plan to prevent geological disasters.

House reconstruction

The report also noted that though 1,10,407 cases had been approved for house damage for reconstruction during 2019-23, construction did not start in 22,496 cases (20%) for which a total of Rs 213.94 crore had already been paid, “raising questions” on the
assessment.

The report recommended that the state government ensure “strict adherence” to financial record-keeping and reconciliation procedures to enhance accountability and transparency in financial transactions. 

The report also recommended that the state government should ensure the effective functioning of institutions like SDMA, SEC, District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) and others.

The Disaster Response Force units had huge vacancies (mainly in the cadres of police and fire service personnel), ranging from 67% to 96% of the sanctioned strength, whereby the units faced difficulties in managing shift-wise duties and rescue operations, the report said.