Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah orders relief operations as Krishna, Bhima rivers flood Kalaburagi region

Bengaluru/Kalaburagi: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday gave a slew of directions to top officials in view of the worsening flood situation along the Krishna and Bhima rivers in Kalaburagi, Bidar, Yadgir and Vijayapura districts.

Heavy rainfall in Kalaburagi, combined with the release of large volumes of water from Maharashtra’s Ujani and Neera reservoirs, has put several low-lying villages, including Bennethora, at risk of rising waters.

The Chief Minister directed Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, and the Kalaburagi Deputy Commissioner to maintain strict vigilance and ensure rapid deployment of rescue and relief efforts.

Stressing that the response must be direct and personal, he told officials that the Deputy Commissioners and Panchayat Chief Executive Officers (CEO) of the four north Karnataka districts should personally visit the flood-affected areas and take emergency measures.

Siddaramaiah further called for accountability at the state secretariat level, a statement issued by his office said.

“The District In-Charge Secretaries must immediately visit the districts, review the situation, and instruct the district administration to take necessary steps," he said in a meeting with the officials where Gowda and Rajneesh were also present.

He underlined the need for inter-departmental coordination, insisting that the Secretaries of the Rural Development Department and the Additional Chief Secretaries of the Water Resources Department must visit the location.

As reports of waterlogging, inundated fields, and cut-off roads continued to arrive from Kalaburagi, the CM made it clear that human and animal lives were paramount.

“Precautionary measures must be taken so that there is no loss of human lives, livestock, and animals,” he said.

To address the hardships of displaced families, he ordered that relief centres should be arranged for the affected people, and adequate fodder must be provided for the animals.

District officials, acting on these instructions, have begun moving vulnerable families to safer shelters. Rescue teams equipped with boats are patrolling flood-hit areas while schools and community halls are being converted into temporary relief camps, sources in the revenue department said.

Villagers, many of whom are farmers, have voiced concerns over their crops and livestock, they added.

With the reservoirs in Maharashtra continuing to discharge water, officials warn that the crisis could escalate if rainfall persists in the upstream catchment areas.