Four more dead, 1,393 more rescued in Kodagu

Mysuru: Four more people, including a woman and her son have died in Kodagu’s floods and landslides, taking the toll to 12 in the district. Nine animals too have died in the disaster.    As Kodagu received 28.42mm of rain in 24 hours between Sunday and Monday, multiple agencies continued their rescue efforts with 1,194 specialised rescuers taking 1, 393 more people to safety in various parts of the district. While as many as 5,618 people have so far been rescued and taken to the 41 relief centres, many more remain  stranded, and rescue teams are screening isolated villages in Jallapadu and other areas to locate them, helped by helicopters making an aerial survey. 

The commissioner of health and family welfare is camping in Kodagu to monitor the measures taken to prevent the outbreak of an epidemic.  Besides providing clean drinking water to the relief camps, a larval survey has been conducted , chlorine is being distributed and  fogging carried out where neccessary. Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who has released Rs 30 crore for he relief and restoration work, has instructed the Kodagu deputy commissioner to identify land for construction of houses in 15 days and build temporary structures using aluminium sheets for the 10,000 homeless immediately, according to official sources.  It is estimated that 845 houses have collapsed and 773  partially damaged.

While expert teams led by the National Geographical Research Institute have begun geotechnical studies in areas affected by the landslides,  experts from the Geographical Survey of India, National Institute of Rock Mechanics and Army Engineering Task Force are expected to be involved in restoring critical road infrastructure in the area, say sources. As much as 191 km of road, and 58 culverts including a hanging bridge near the Cauvery river have been damaged. All major roads leading to the district continue to be blocked, and  the CHESCOM managing director is camping in Madikeri to restore power supply to  villages disrupted by the 3920 electrical poles, conductors and transformers being damaged.

On the  CM’s instructions, measures are being taken to distribute notebooks and textbooks to students and conduct extra classes to make up for those missed due to the heavy rain of the past few weeks, reveal sources. With the people of Kodagu losing their ID cards, certificates and documents, the government has decided to set up a common service centre in the district to issue them duplicates free of cost or for a nominal fee, according to sources.