Notwithstanding the comfortable storage positions in the major reservoirs of the Cauvery basin in Karnataka, the catchment area in Kodagu district has received below normal rain in July, and has triggered an alert in the district administration.
Reason?
A below-normal rainfall during July tends to be followed by heavy to very heavy rains in August. The hilly district ends up receiving 20 to 30 days of precipitation within a week, resulting in wide-spread damage to property, localized flooding and crop loss, apart from landslides.
Though it is not the rule, public memory of the devastation caused in 2018, and similar trends in the following two to 3 years, has kept residents and officials on edge.
Hence, there is a heightened alert in Kodagu every time the rainfall is below normal in the district. The district tends to be pro-active for emergency response, identifying areas vulnerable to flash floods or landslides, and conducting a dry-run of emergency response with the involvement of the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and other departments, to handle any eventuality.
At a recently convened meeting of the District Disaster Management Authority, Deputy Commissioner Venkat Raja cautioned officials against complacency due to lull in rainfall in July. He issued clear instructions to all officials to remain vigilant until the end of August.
The Deputy Commissioner pointed out that while there was heavy rainfall in the last week of May and throughout June this year, the rainfall in July has been below normal. Hence, he impressed upon officials the possibility of heavy rains in the coming days, and the imperatives of taking appropriate precautionary measures in their respective jurisdictions.
The DC called for additional precautions to be taken to protect anganwadi, school, and college buildings, apart from protecting livestock. “Attention should also be paid to preventing damage to government buildings from falling trees,” he added, and called for precautionary steps, such as trimming of branches.
The Deputy Commissioner advised informing the Forest Department in advance if there are trees in a hazardous condition.
Engineers from the Public Works Department and Panchayat Raj Department have been instructed to work in tandem with the tahsildars, who have to keep the authorities informed of rain-related damage in their respective localities. Additionally, the Deputy Commissioner instructed tahsildars to carry out spot inspections.
District Superintendent of Police K. Ramarajan suggested that forest check posts be opened at various locations, including Anechowkur and Maldare, and called for deploying police personnel at these check-posts for better coordination.
Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) engineers were instructed to ensure additional poles and transformers are available for installation wherever required.
Tahsildars, taluk panchayat executive officers, Additional Deputy Commissioner R. Aishwarya, CESC engineer Ramachandra, and officers from various departments participated in the video conference.
According to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), Kodagu has received 468 mm of rainfall from July 1st to July 21st, which is 21% below normal, and is under deficit category. In the taluks, Virajpet has received 295 mm, which is 44% below normal, Ponnampet has received 366 mm, which is 30% below normal, and comes under deficit category.
Published – July 22, 2025 04:41 pm IST
