Karnataka Floods:Update

PM`s relief to Karnataka

"I announce an interim relief of Rs.1,000 crore for Karnataka. For the 226 precious lives lost in the flash floods and rain havoc, I have already announced a compensation of Rs.100,000 to the next of kin or kith of the victims," (Read More)

Now you can Donate Online!

CALAMITY RELIEF FUND OF KARNATAKA
Karnataka has seen unprecedented floods in the recent times. You can contribute towards mitigating the suffering of people through contribution to

"Calamity Relief Fund of Karnataka"

Thanks to Giri/Dr Rajkiran Panuganti for inputs in this regard!

Photo of the week

Courtesy: The Hindu

Disasters: Preparedness is better than relief

Disaster is a situation or event which overwhelms local capacity, necessitating a request to a national or international level for external assistance. Such events always strike when least expected. Hence the response of the system needs to be automatic, coordinated and needs to be based on pre established drilled/ rehearsed protocols. This obviously involves coordination between the various agencies.(eg:home/fire/paramilitary/homeguards/ communication/ transport / finance / revenue/NGO etc).

Natural calamities, of one description or the other, affect nations all over the world. Because of the large geographical size of the country, India often faces natural calamities like floods, cyclones landslides and earthquakes. Manmade disasters too affect us in the form of railway accidents, building collapse, industrial disasters including radiation and hazardous chemicals and finally acts of terror including bio terror and proxy wars.

Consequences of these calamities are loss of lives, injury to the survivors, epidemics, loss of housing, crops, damage to infrastructure, disruption of communication, panic, looting, break down of social order, short term or permanent migration, loss of industrial production.

Disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness and relief are four elements which contribute to and gain, from the implementation of the sustainable development policies. These elements along with environmental protection and sustainable development, are closely inter related. Disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness are better than disaster response in achieving the goals and objectives of vulnerability reduction. Disaster response alone is not sufficient as it yields only temporary results at a very high cost. Prevention and mitigation contribute to lasting improvement in safety and are essential to integrated disaster management.

Hospital preparedness/ Dept of Helath is crucial to any disaster response system. Karnataka is in the forefront of medical education. This also has helped to identify Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences Karnataka, as the lead national resource institution for disaster response related curriculum development. Other measures include flood preparedness and response, earthquake risk mitigation and disaster risk management programme.Awareness generation. Awareness generation campaigns are necessary to sensitize all the stakeholders on the need for disaster preparedness and mitigation measures. Elected representatives and officials are to be trained in disaster management under the programme. Awareness about vulnerabilities is a good tool for inducing a mindset of disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness. This includes use of the mass media, introduction of relevant content in school curriculum etc.,

Need for audit:Man always learns from his or others past experience. Experts in the field of Disaster management, should document and publish the past experience. In this regard there is also a need for having a regional and national registry on disaster related activities.

I am sure, such exchange of ideas through communication would enrich our knowledge.Let us all benefit from such shared wisdom to make this world, a safe one!
(excerpts from the guest lecture delivered in "Safe World 2008, Bangalore")

Flood Relief: reports

Relief measures

As many as 169 people lost their lives, over 1.2 lakh houses collapsed, over 350 villages were marooned, and 3,048 animals were washed away in the incessant rains that wrecked havoc in the 16 districts of Northern Karnataka over the last week. Home Minister VS Acharya said that 1,77,425 people have been given shelter in 589 relief camps across the state. The total damage caused by the rains is estimated to be around Rs 10,000 crore.
“We have not yet done an assessment of the losses as we are waiting for the water to recede from villages and fields. But the losses could be about Rs 10,000 crore,” Acharya said at a press conference on Sunday.
The toll is likely to go up as it is feared that about 20 people have been buried alive in a landslide in Karwar district. Eight helicopters and 73 boats have been engaged for relief and rescue operations.
“The entire government machinery from village level to the state level is attending rescue and relief operations,” Acharya said, adding that the government has released Rs 400 crore. (Express)

An appeal

Rescue and relief operations of such a gigantic scale cannot be comprehensive without cooperation of the public and assistance from philanthropists. Vast sums are required to organize the operations... Hence, the government is appealing to the public to extend all cooperation in rescue and relief operations... We earnestly appeal to all philanthropists including industrialists, businessmen and others to donate liberally...

How you can help? Contributions should be credited to the deputy commissioners of district in the form of a crossed account payee cheque or demand draft. The instrument should be drawn in favour of `Karnataka Chief Minister's Relief Fund - Calamity' and handed over personally or sent by post to the DC. The cheques and DDs may also be sent to: Karnataka Chief Minister's Relief Fund - Calamity, office of the Chief Minister, Government of Karnataka, Vidhana Soudha, Bangalore -560001. (TOI/Hindu)

Modalitites for online contributions is being worked out, link would be provided soon...

Contributions may also be in the form of clothes, blankets, etc. These should be deposited at the office of the tahsildars or municipal commissioners. (Avoid sending used/ old clothes)

Flood situation assessment

Udupi: Home Minister Dr V S Acharya on Sunday said he had instructed the district administration to submit a complete report to the government on the damage due to rains and floods so that maximum funds could be released from both the state and the centre under calamity funds. Addressing a press meet after meeting officials on the damage caused by the rains since Jul 6, Acharya, also district in charge minister of Udupi, said both Udupi and Dakshina Kannada district are the worst affected by the recent rains. Udupi district, the highest rain fed area in Karnataka, had received 1250 mm rain in July after a 39 year gap,with the total damage at over Rs 30 crore. The district had received 200 mm rain in a single day, he said. He said the government had released Rs five crore each for immediate relief works to six worst affected districts, including Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, Rs two crore each to five districts and Rs one crore each to remaining 18 districts, totalling Rs 58 crore. He also visited the severe sea eroded area at Ermal Bada in Udupi district earlier in the absence of Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa who cancelled his visit after the aircraft returned due to bad weather condition. Acharya said that the Chief Minister, soon after reaching Bangalore, had instructed him to hold meetings in Udupi and Mangalore and send an interim report by evening today about the damages in the two districts. Based on his report, the Chief Minister would decide on the quantum of additional funds to be released after discussing it at the cabinet sub-committee meeting. He said the administration had also proposed to submit a proposal to the government for immediately releasing Rs 2.06 crore for emergency sea wall protection work in the district, where 1534 metre road and land had been severely damaged at several critical points. Acharya said the government would soon write to the Prime Minister, requesting that two permanent units of the national disaster response force be set up -- one in Udupi and another in Belgaum -- to handle natural disasters. He said the state government had received Rs 12 crore in the last three years under the calamity relief fund, of which Rs 10 crore had already been paid and Rs 52 lakh had been left over. He said he had instructed the district administration to take up all relief measures soon with the release of Rs five crore yesterday by the government. Dr Acharya said the state government would also recommend to the Centre to enhance compensation for crop loss and house damage from National Calamity Relief Fund. (ZeeNews)
Rs 5.48 crore for flood relief: Acharya

ಪ್ರಕೃತಿ ವಿಕೋಪ : ಉಡುಪಿ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆ : ವಿ ಎಸ್ ಆಚಾರ್ಯ ರಿಂದ ವೀಕ್ಷಣೆ, ಆದೇಶ

ಉಡುಪಿ:ಆಗಸ್ಟ್,14. ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕಳೆದ 2-3 ದಿನಗಳಿಂದ ಸಂಭವಿಸುತ್ತಿರುವ ಗಾಳಿ ಮಳೆಗೆ ಹಾನಿಗೊಂಡ ಮನೆ, ತೋಟಗಾರಿಕೆ ಬೆಳೆ ಇತ್ಯಾದಿಗಳ ಪರಿಹಾರ ಮೊತ್ತವನ್ನು ಶೀಘ್ರವಾಗಿ ವಿತರಿಸುವಂತೆ ಜಿಲ್ಲಾ ಉಸ್ತುವಾರಿ ಸಚಿವರೂ ಆಗಿರುವ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಗೃಹಮಂತ್ರಿ ಡಾ. ವಿ. ಎಸ್. ಆಚಾರ್ಯ ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಸೂಚಿಸಿದರು.
ತೀವ್ರ ಗಾಳಿಯಿಂದ ಹಾನಿಗೊಂಡ ಮೂಡುಬೆಳ್ಳೆ ಮತ್ತು ಉಪ್ಪೂರು ಪ್ರದೇಶಗಳಿಗೆ ಇಂದು (ಗುರುವಾರದ೦ದು)ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಿದ ಸಚಿವ ಡಾ. ಆಚಾರ್ಯ ಅಂದಾಜು ನಷ್ಟ ಲೆಕ್ಕಹಾಕುವಂತೆ ಸೂಚಿಸಿದರು. ವಿಕೋಪ ಪರಿಹಾರ ನಿಧಿಯಡಿ ಸೂಕ್ತ ಪರಿಹಾರಧನ ನೀಡುವಂತೆ ಸ್ಥಳದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದ ಕಂದಾಯ ಇಲಾಖಾಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಸೂಚಿಸಿದರು.
ಸಂತ್ರಸ್ತರಿಗೆ ಸಾಂತ್ವನ ನೀಡಿದ ಸಚಿವ ಆಚಾರ್‍ಯ, ಪ್ರಕೃತಿ ವಿಕೋಪಗಳಿಂದಾಗಿ ನಷ್ಟ ಸಂಭವಿಸಿದಲ್ಲಿ ಮೂರು ಸ್ತರಗಳ ತಹರೇವಾರಿ ಪರಿಹಾರಧನ ವಿತರಿಸಲಾಗುವುದು. ಪೂರ್ತಿ ಹಾನಿಗೊಂಡ ಕಚ್ಚಾಮನೆಗಳಿಗೆ 10 ಸಾವಿರ ಹಾಗೂ ಪಕ್ಕಾ ಮನೆಗಳಿಗೆ 25 ಸಾವಿರ ರೂ. ವರೆಗೆ ಪರಿಹಾರ ನೀಡಲಾಗುವುದು. ತೀವ್ರ ಪ್ರಮಾಣದಲ್ಲಿ ನಷ್ಟವಾದ ಕಚ್ಚಾ ಮನೆಗಳಿಗೆ ೩ ಸಾವಿರ ಮತ್ತು ಪಕ್ಕಾ ಮನೆಗಳಿಗೆ 5 ಸಾವಿರ ರೂ. ವರೆಗೆ ಪರಿಹಾರ ಅಂತೆಯೇ ಭಾಗಶ: ಹಾನಿಗೊಂಡ ಮನೆಗಳಿಗೆ 1,5000 ರೂ. ಪರಿಹಾರ ನೀಡಲು ಸರಕಾರ ನಿರ್ಧರಿಸಿದೆ ಎಂದರು. ತೋಟಗಾರಿಕೆ ಬೆಳೆ ನಾಶ ಪ್ರಮಾಣ ಕುರಿತು ತೋಟಗಾರಿಕೆ ಇಲಾಖೆ ಅಂದಾಜು ಮಾಡಲಿದೆ. ಸದ್ರಿ ಇಲಾಖೆ ಸೂಚಿಸಿದ ಮೊತ್ತವನ್ನು ನೀಡಲಾಗುವುದು ಎಂದೂ ಸಚಿವರು ಹೇಳಿದರು.

ಸಚಿತ್ರ ವರದಿ : ಜೆ ಪಿ ಉಡುಪಿ , ಗಲ್ಫ್ ಕನ್ನಡಿಗ

ನೆರೆ, ಭೂ ಕುಸಿತ...

ಮನೆ ಕಟ್ಟುವಾಗ, ಕಟ್ಟಡ ಕಟ್ಟುವಾಗ ನಗರಾಡಳಿತ ದ ಕಾನೂನು ಗಳನ್ನೂ ನಿರ್ಲಕ್ಷಿಸಿ ಯದ್ವಾ ತದ್ವಾ ನಗರ ಬೆಳೆದರೆ...ಮಳೆಗಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ತೊಂದರೆ! ಇದಕ್ಕೂ ಜಿಲ್ಲಾ ಆಡಳಿತವನ್ನು ದೂರಿ ಏನು ಪ್ರಯೋಜನ?

ಈಗ ಪುಟಗಟ್ಟಲೆ ಉಪದೇಶ ನೀಡುವವರು, ಅಕ್ರಮ ಕಟ್ಟಡಗಳು ಮೇಲೆ ಏಳುವಾಗ, ಚರಂಡಿ ಗಳನ್ನೂ ನುಂಗುವಾಗ ಏನು ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ?
Bad urban planning results in artifical floods in cities...why blame administration, when the norms are flouted by the public?