24 Killed, Crops in 5 Hectares of Land Damaged Due to Heavy Rainfall in Karnataka

Due to torrential rains in Karnataka, 24 deaths were reported and crops with over five hectares of land have been destroyed.

According to the chief minister's office, 658 residences were fully destroyed, 8,495 were partially destroyed, and at least 191 livestock were reported dead. 

The figures were disclosed after CM Basavaraj Bommai convened a meeting at his home office on Sunday to assess the damage caused by the persistent rains. According to the CMO, multiple roads, bridges, schools, and public health centres were also destroyed. The districts of Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Tumakuru, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Ramanagar, and Hassan have been severely damaged. 

While the unusually heavy rain for November has rendered farmers miserable, it has allegedly brought so much joy on another front: all 13 major dams in Karnataka are either full or close brimming. 

Four major dams have reached 100 percent capacity and are releasing water in a regulated manner. According to the study, which was based on data from the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Management Centre (KSNDMC), the Krishnarajasagar (KRS), Kabini, Bhadra and Tugabhadra dams were all full on Saturday. 

The remaining nine reservoirs, which include three hydel energy reservoirs, are about 90 percent filled. As on Sunday, Karnataka has 95 percent of its water storage in the Cauvery Basin and 92 percent in the Krishna Basin. 

However, there are some concerns. According to the report, a large release of water, which is required to guarantee the dams' structural safety, might induce floods downstream.

Officials, however, have confirmed that dam safety levels are well within bounds and that flooding is unlikely. 

"As far as daily inflows and outflows are concerned, the inflows would taper down, thus we do not see any flooding concerns," KSNDMC commissioner Manoj Rajan was quoted as saying.