Flood Crisis Builds Up In Karnataka’s Kodagu District, Experts Call It Man Made Disaster 

Following the devastating floods in Kerala, a similar situation has developed in Karnataka’s Kodagu district with around 3,500 people being rescued from the region so far, Press Trust of India has reported. Out of this, about 317 people including a two-month-old infant were rescued on Saturday (18 August).

The report claimed that six people have died following heavy rains which resulted in landslides and floods.

To tackle the situation, a 1,000 strong team comprising of armed forces, national and state disaster response forces, civil defence teams, fire and emergency personnel has been commissioned for rescue work since 15 August. Local youths and volunteers have been assisting them.

A total of 31 relief shelters supplied with food and water have been built for the flood victims. To aid the relief work, various volunteer organisations have collected food, water and medicines to be used sent to the flood-hit areas. BJP’s Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) corporators and its Bengaluru MLAs have pledged their two months salary for flood aid.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy have been in contact over the situation with the latter assuring full assistance.

Following the floods, environmental experts and forest officials have blamed rampant land conversion in Malnad belt and decreased vegetation for the landslides, New Indian Express has reported.

As per Environmentalist Sundar Muthanna, land exploitation which meant building resorts on paddy, coffee, forest lands and exploiting groundwater made the hills unstable.

Geologists claim that decreasing vegetation on the slopes reduced soil binding and was the cause of houses sliding away. One of them thus called it “nothing but a man-made disaster” and urged people to plant trees around their homes.