Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday announced a relief fund of Rs 300 crore for maintaining the basic infrastructure and the losses incurred by the heavy rain in Bengaluru.
He met with the Bangalore Water Supply & Sewerage Board (BWSSB), deputy commissioners of 15 districts, and senior officials earlier on Monday to discuss the state’s flooding and rain.
On Monday, Bommai told the media about the government’s decision to release a fund of Rs 600 crore for the management of floods in Bengaluru along with other districts. 300 crores have been allotted to Bengaluru alone.
According to Bommai, a central team would travel to Bengaluru on Tuesday evening to assess the state’s flooding and rain conditions. The government will meet with the members of the team after the document has been submitted.
The BJP leader also discussed the T.K. Halli pumphouse in Mandya, which once pumped Cauvery drinking water but has since been damaged by the Bheemeshwara River and other nearby lakes overflowing. After two days of cleaning and Cauvery water draining, he made sure the pumphouse would begin pumping water.
According to the chief minister of Karnataka, Bengaluru is developing a backup plan for water supply. It would restart 8000 borewells underneath the BWSSB to provide water in areas with disruptions. In order to prevent any disruption in Bengaluru’s water supply, the government would also send tankers to areas without borewells to deliver water.
He claimed that the addition of 110 villages to the BBMP borders resulted in the expansion of Bengaluru and the emergence of new issues.
“We will remove encroachments on roads, canals, and rajakaluves and install gates for waterholes. Infrastructure will be improved. Because the state capital has received the most rainfall in the shortest amount of time, they must accept it as a challenge and face it together.”
For the upcoming four days, the interiors of south and north Karnataka should expect severe rains. The state already experienced a 144% increase in rain during the final week of August and a 51% increase in rain during the first five days of the current month. The water table has risen in areas affected by the drought. The state has not had as much rain in 42 years.
Bommai also detailed the relief measures and assessed the harm caused by the rain and floods.
14,717 hectares of agricultural crops and 1374 hectares of horticultural crops have been damaged. 2188 homes suffer partial damage, while 430 homes sustain total damage. Damage has been done to 225 km of roads, bridges, culverts, and electric poles.
He made sure that 500 crores were released for the maintenance of essential infrastructure. He stated that sluice gates would be erected for the large tanks in order to store and release water. In addition, he committed to furthering the fight against encroachment and conducting a collaborative study of crop loss.