K’taka rain toll hits 13, CM orders relief ops

As parts of Karnataka faced a deluge for the second time in two months and the death toll since last week rose to 13, chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday

As parts of Karnataka faced a deluge for the second time in two months and the death toll since last week rose to 13, chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday directed officials to immediately expedite relief work and not to step down on account of Diwali holidays.

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The second spell of downpour since October 18 has claimed 13 lives besides damaging around 10,000 houses and rendering over 7,000 people homeless in 16 districts, including Belagavi in north Karnataka, which bore the brunt of the flood fury in August.

Six teams of National Disaster Response Force and one column of the Army was operational in affected regions. Each Army column comprises 70-80 soldiers.

According to officials, the water level in dams in the sub-basin of the Krishna river and the Cauvery basin in Karnataka are at full reservoir level or close to the capacity and the discharge has been increased to keep appropriate buffer.

The heavy rains and floods in August had claimed 91 lives and around seven lakh people were shifted to safe areas. The Centre had recently released Rs 1,200 crore as interim flood relief to the state, which had sent a damage estimate of Rs 35,160.81 crore.

On Wednesday, it put out a red alert, forecasting “extremely heavy rainfall” over the Konkan region of Maharastra, Goa as well as coastal Karnataka for Friday.