Karnataka flood toll 192,2 lakh houses damaged

In the initial phase of relief work,the Karnataka government would build one lakh homes for the benefit of people left homeless by the unprecedented flood situation in the state,Yeddyurappa said on a day when the rain receded and flood waters further subsided.

The death toll in Karnataka has been put at 192 and as many as 17.8 million people have been affected by the floods,according to the state government. Over two lakh homes have collapsed or have been damaged,according to the state government records.

While agricultural crops in the 15 districts have been completely lost,the road network and electricity lines have been badly damaged. Officials in the northern city of Hubli said the fallout of the floods on the agriculture economy was likely to be witnessed over the coming days.

In a letter to the Prime Minister and Home Minister,Yeddyurappa has put the value of the estimated damage to crops and properties at over Rs 20,000 crore.

“In view of the enormous damage it is required to designate the calamity as a ‘national calamity’ and release relief under NCCF to the extent of Rs 10,000 crore and to immediately send the Central Study Team,” the Karnataka Chief Minister has stated.

Saying his government had so far released Rs 205 crore for relief and rescue measures,the Chief Minister announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh for families where lives had been lost during the floods.

The flood damage across the command areas of the Krishna,Ghataprabha and the Tungabhadra rivers in north Karnataka has been blamed partly on the failure of irrigations projects where secondary and tertiary canal works remain incomplete.

Though late in the day for the kharif crop,the rainfall that has created a flood situation in large parts of the Southern Peninsula has been over 80 per cent above normal after the official monsoon ended on September 30.