Karnataka floods: Losses could hit 30,000 cr, says BSY

The death toll in Karnataka floods touched 40 on Sunday with four lives being lost in different parts of the State even as the state government sought an interim relief of Rs 10,000 crore from the Centre to handle the crisis.

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Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said losses caused by floods in 17 districts could exceed Rs 30,000 to 40,000 crore. The chief minister has urged the Centre to release Rs 3,000 crore immediately to take up relief works.

Yediyurappa had earlier conducted an aerial survey of Belagavi and Bagalkot districts along with Union Home Minister Amit Shah following a meeting with officials to review relief efforts. “Central and both state governments are totally committed to helping our people in distress,” Shah tweeted.

Amid the gloom, there was some good news as the flood situation eased a bit following decrease in rainfall, aiding rescue efforts in several flood-hit districts. However, heavy inflow into reservoirs such as Tungabhadra dam and Narayanapura dam resulted in the partial inundation of Unesco World Heritage Sites at Hampi and Pattadakal.

According to the situation report by the Revenue Department, connectivity in 136 major roads was hampered and efforts were on to resume the movement of traffic.

Authorities have evacuated 5.81 lakh people in the State — of which 3.45 lakh people are from Belagavi district alone — as River Krishna, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, Tungabhadra and Cauvery continued to be in spate. Water level in these rivers are expected to recede as rains are likely to subside in the next couple of days.

Four dead

Meanwhile, floods claimed at least four lives in different parts of the State. While two people lost their lives in Mysuru district, two deaths were reported in Dharwad and Bagalkot district respectively.

According to official data, the total number of deaths reported due to floods since August 1 touched 40 while a total of 14 people are reported missing.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), very heavy rainfall has been forecast for coastal and Malnad districts on Monday.

Yediyurappa is scheduled to review relief efforts in coastal and Malnad districts in the next two days.