Karnataka govt to pay Rs 297 crore as relief for rain damage this year

While speaking of the temporary financial relief provided by the government to deal with excess rainfall, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda articulated the need to find permanent solutions to prevent floods.

Belagavi: Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda announced on Friday that the state government would provide a compensation of Rs 297 crore for damages caused by rains.

Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, the minister stated that 133 people died this year due to rains -  with some having lost their lives in rivers that were in full spate and some others due to lightning.

Pointing out that there had been excess rainfall during both monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, Gowda said Rivers Tungabhadra, Krishna and Bheema had overflowed at times.

While speaking of the temporary financial relief provided by the government to deal with excess rainfall, the minister articulated the need to find permanent solutions to prevent floods.

“According to the National Geographical Survey, there are 863 landslide-prone gram panchayats in Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Kodagu, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga districts. To prevent these landslides, the CM has directed to provide Rs 425 crore for 2-2.5 years.”

Gowda noted that the World Bank had provided a loan of Rs 3,000 crore for remodelling around 300 km of the roughly 1,000-km long stormwater drains in Bengaluru (Rs 2,000 cr) and for the BWSSB to finish work on underground sewages (Rs 1,000 cr). Another Rs, 2,000 crore was provided by the Disaster Mitigation Fund for the rest of the state.