Rain damage to the tune of Rs 120 crore reported in Dharwad district

Time of India

2 days ago

Pic: Farmers in Lakamapur village of Dharwad taluk resume sowing operation after rains gives a respite. (TOI)
Dharwad: Dharwad district administration has submitted a request for Rs 60 crore under the Natural Disaster Management Fund to repair the public infrastructure that has been damaged due to heavy rains and flood.
Of this, the govt has released Rs 10 crore so far.
The district witnessed intense rainfall during the last week of May and the first half of June. While the showers have brought much-needed relief to the farmers and jump-started agricultural activities, they have also caused widespread damage to public infrastructure.
Roads, bridges, cross-drainage structures, tanks, school buildings and anganwadi centres have been damaged across various taluks.
Despite the district administration initiating emergency repair works under the disaster management authority, officials express concern over the lack of sufficient funds to carry out full-scale restoration efforts.
According to rainfall data, the district has received over 240% excess rainfall in the past one month. Notably, the semi-arid regions of the district have received more rain than the wetter Malnad areas.
Kundgol, Navalgund, Dharwad, and Hubballi taluks have reported the highest levels of damage.
Initial estimates peg the total rain-related damage at around Rs 120 crore, excluding crop losses.
District minister Santosh Lad, in a recent review meeting, instructed officials to utilise available funds for immediate repair works. However, officials say the district is currently facing a resource crunch.
Kundgol MLA MR Patil noted that his constituency has seen extensive damage to roads, bridges, and drainage systems.
"There are no funds for long-term solutions," he said, adding that officials are currently filling potholes with mud as a temporary fix. "If rains continue, the situation could worsen. The govt must release special grants immediately for repairing roads and bridges," he urged.
As per the rain damage report by the PWD and revenue department, 262 km rural roads are damaged and the estimated repair cost is Rs 4 crore. Cross-drainage structures in 40 locations are damaged and the restoration cost will be around Rs 2.4 crore.
As many as 11 tanks have breached in Navalgund taluk and the repair cost is Rs 1.1 crore. So far, 5 km of state highway, 12.7 km district roads and 22 minor bridges have been damaged and the combined repair cost for highways, roads, and bridges is Rs 58.1 crore.
Around 63 km of urban roads have been affected, requiring Rs 33.6 crore for repairs.
Education infrastructure has also taken a hit, with 260 classrooms in 70 govt schools and 47 anganwadi centres reporting significant damage due to the rains.
Deputy commissioner Divya Prabhu stated that respective departments have been asked to submit detailed estimates for their respective damage assessments. "Once adequate funds are released, comprehensive restoration will begin. For now, we are prioritising emergency works using available resources," she said.