5 people missing in landslides near Talakaveri parts of Karnataka, Kerala as heavy downpour continues

Kodagu: Five people have been missing in landslides near Talakaveri, Kodagu district part of Karnataka this morning. Heavy rainfall in several parts of Karnataka and neighbouring Kerala has added to the challenges of the southern states already reeling under a deteriorating covid-19 and deepening economic distress.

Parts of Malnad, coastal and northern districts of Karnataka are suffering from flooding and landslides, bringing back memories of last year’s floods in the state and Kerala that left hundreds dead and left a trail of destruction.

Karnataka chief minister B.S.Yediyurappa, who has tested covid- 19 positive and undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bengaluru, has directed district in-charge ministers and officials to take precautionary measures to contain the damage.

” ₹50 crores has already been released and if necessary, more funds would be released,” the chief minister’s office (CMO) said in a statement on Thursday, attributing it to Yediyurappa.

With shortage of cash flows in the state’s coffers, lower share from the Centre and weak tax collections, the government has few options to raise money due to muted economic activity induced by the covid-19 pandemic that has so far infected over 1.5 lakh people in the state. Seven districts in Karnataka have been issued red alerts for Thursday. Landslides were reported in Kodagu, the coffee growing district of Karnataka, that is yet to recover from two consecutive floods and landslides in the last couple of years.

Just across the border in Kerala, Wayanad and Kozhikode districts are under a red alert issued by the meteorological department, warning of over 20 cm of extremely heavy rainfall. Several other districts have issued an orange alert for 6cm-20cm heavy rains. Six teams of National Disaster Response Force have been constituted by the state for emergency situations one team each in Wayanad, Idukki, Thrissur, Alappuzha, Malappuram and Palakkad.

Three people, including two children, have died so far in rain-related incidents in Kerala this week. The rains are said to intensify over the weekend. The state is also worried if the rains will affect its covid-19 response. Torrential rains have lashed Kerala in the last 24 hours.

It is particularly heavy in the hilly parts of the state, uprooting trees, electric poles, and others, and has so far left a trail of damage worth lakhs in both residential areas and farmlands. In at least one site, Nilambur in Malappuram, a landslide has caused flooding in the main town.