Karnataka Rains: Over 1700 Villages at Risk of Flooding, 1350 Vulnerable to Landslides

About 1700 villages of the state have been identified as in danger of riverine floods and 1350 villages are prone to landslides. The government has identified that out of 31 districts, 23 will be affected by floods in case of excess rain. Belagavi, Raichur, Koppal, Ballari, Gadag, Haveri, Shivamogga, Davangere, Bagalkote, Yadgir and Mysuru have higher risks.With the onset of the monsoon, officials instructed all districts to be ready with action plans for the management of floods and evacuation of people to safer places, in case of floods.

According to the data and records of the Revenue’s Disaster Management Department, Krishna Basin has the highest number of 1478 flood-prone villages. Among them, 643 are very high-risk and 835 are at moderate risk villages. Similarly, the Cauvery basin has 124 villages vulnerable to riverine floods. Of them, 54 are at high risk and 70 are moderate-risk villages. 96 villages are vulnerable in the west-flowing river basin. Of which 60 are at very high risk. Tungabhadra River has the highest number of 594 vulnerable villages as it flows from nine districts of Karnataka.

Similarly, the seven Western Ghats districts of the state are vulnerable to landslides. Uttara Kannada has the highest number of 616 landslide-vulnerable villages in Karnataka followed by Shivamogga (374), Chikkamagaluru (209), Dakshina Kannada (51), Kodagu (45), Hassan (40). and Udupi (16). As per the data in 2022, Karnataka lost 82 human lives, 462 domestic animals, and about 24,408 houses were damaged due to excess rain.

V. Rashmi Mahesh, Principal Secretary of Revenue’s Disaster Management Department said that the government has identified the villages as per the data available. The department is constantly monitoring the water levels at reservoirs and rivers. Along with deputing human resources at highly vulnerable locations, the administration has been asked to ensure the fitness of buildings and all the local bodies have been asked to desilt drains and rainwater storms for easy passage of rainwater.Authorities are worried about the flash floods that could result in havoc in a short period. Bengaluru is becoming vulnerable to such flash floods where high-intensity rain lashes the city quickly.