The memory of heavy rains and landslides in Malnad districts – particularly Chikkamagaluru and Hassan – in August 2019 has resulted in the government machinery being prepared to face the possible repeat of such a situation.
Senior officers held a series of meetings to constitute village-level committees and arrange necessary materials to handle the situation.
Chikkamagaluru Deputy Commissioner K.N. Ramesh, on August 1, held a videoconference with taluk level officers on preparedness. The administration has identified vulnerable places and officers had been designated to each place. Care centres have been identified across the district to shelter affected persons.
GP committees
The district administration has identified 47 gram panchayats, vulnerable to floods, and constituted a disaster management committee in each panchayat. Each panchayat has early warning teams, evacuation and rescue teams, and damage assessment teams. The members of the committee had undergone training in Mysuru on relief works. A few committees had already completed familiarisation exercises with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).
SDRF teams have been stationed at Balehonnur in N.R. Pura taluk and in Kalasa. Chikkamagaluru Superintendent of Police Akshay M. Hakay has appealed to the public to call up the police helpline 112 in case of any emergency.
Swimmers on call
The officers have identified 70 expert swimmers and their names would be displayed prominently in villages so that people can contact them in case of an emergency. Similarly, a list of people who own earthmovers has been prepared.
The officers have identified 64 vehicles for emergency use in the district. At a meeting held recently, Hassan DC R. Girish told officers to keep the men and machinery ready. During the heavy rains last week, six houses in Sakleshpur were damaged and several localities were flooded. The then ministers R. Ashok and K. Goplaiah had visited the rain-hit areas.
2019 devastation
The heavy rainfall that lashed the Malnad region in August 2019 is unforgettable because of the magnitude of the damage it caused. Hundreds of families were rendered homeless. Scores of people were stuck in their homes surrounded by water. The emergency response teams reached the spot only after the water level came down and took people to safer places. The affected people were put up in temporary shelters for several months.
Agriculture was severely affected as landslides damaged plantations. People who lost their homes received financial assistance from the Karnataka government to build houses in safe places. The rehabilitation plan proposed for those who lost their plantations attracted criticism.
Taken by surprise
All that damage was caused due to heavy rains in a short span of time . Interestingly, until the end of July 2019, the rainfall in the southwest monsoon was normal. As of July 31, 2019, the rainfall recorded in the Malnad region was 25% less than the normal expected in the month. However, by the end of August 2019, the region had received 121% excess rainfall. This year, as of August 2, the region received 13% less than the normal rainfall during the southwest monsoon.
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