71 killed due to excessive pre-monsoon rains in Karnataka since April
Bengaluru, May 31 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's office on Saturday said that 71 people lost their lives due to excessive pre-monsoon showers in the state since April.
The pre-monsoon rains in 2025 is the highest rainfall recorded during the pre-monsoon seasons and in the month of May in the last 125 years, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a statement.
The state normally receives 74 mm of rainfall in May, but the actual rainfall was 219 mm, which is 197 per cent higher than the average normal rainfall, it said.
Similarly, in the pre-monsoon period of 2025 (March 1 to May 31), the state normally receives 115 mm of rainfall, but the actual rainfall was 286 mm, which is 149 per cent higher than the average normal rainfall.
The rainfall, including thunderstorms and gales, was observed across the state during the 2025 pre-monsoon period (March 1 to May 31), with all districts receiving very high and above normal rainfall, the statement said.
During the period from April 1 to May 31, 48 people were killed due to lightning, nine due to falling of trees, five due to house collapse, four due to drowning, four due to landslide and one due to electrocution, it added.
A total of 71 lives were lost and an emergency compensation of Rs 5 lakh has been distributed to the heirs of the deceased, the statement said.
It said that 702 animal losses occurred, out of which compensation has already been distributed to the concerned in 698 animal loss cases. (Large animals - 225 and small animals - 477).
The statement said that 2,068 houses have reportedly been damaged, out of which compensation has already been distributed to 1,926 houses. (fully damaged - 75 and partial damage - 1993).
A total of 15,378.32 hectares of crops have been damaged, (agricultural crops - 11915.66 hectares and horticulture - 3462.66 hectares), said officials, adding that crop damage details have been provided to be entered in the compensation software and the compensation payment process is in progress.
As per the revised 2025 Southwest Monsoon Forecast released by the India Meteorological Department on May 27, there is a possibility of above normal rainfall across the state during the 2025 Southwest Monsoon (June-September) period and except for a few districts in the southern interior, all the remaining districts are likely to receive normal and above normal rainfall in June.
There are a total of five NDRF teams in the state, out of which four teams have already been deployed, one each for Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts for emergency response during the monsoon season.
Another team is in Bengaluru. Apart from this, the fire brigade, SDRF and other emergency service teams will be available for emergency response and rescue operations as required.
As on May 31, the total storage in 14 major reservoirs of the state was 316.01 TMC, which is 35 per cent of the total storage capacity (895.62 TMC) as against 179.95 TMC (about 20 percent of the capacity) during the same period last year, the CMO said.
Overall, the major reservoirs of the state recorded a cumulative inflow of about 718,193 cusecs (62.05 TMC) between May 19 and May 29, with the inflow generally increasing from May 25 due to widespread and heavy rainfall in the catchment areas.
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Oppn, X users flag concerns over US envoy Sergio Gor’s visit to Army’s western command
New Delhi: A visit by the US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, to Chandigarh on Monday has triggered sharp criticism from opposition leaders and social media users, raising questions about national security and foreign policy.
On X, Ambassador Gor announced his visit, writing, “Just landed in Chandigarh. Looking forward to visiting the Western Command of the Indian Army.”
Just landed in Chandigarh. Looking forward to visiting the Western Command of the Indian Army
— Ambassador Sergio Gor (@USAmbIndia) February 16, 2026
Soon after, opposition voices questioned the broader implications of the visit. Congress Kerala, in a post, commented, “Why so much panic? We’ve already seen Pakistan's ISI getting access to Pathankot Airbase with this government's blessings. Didn't they say then ‘Modi ne kiya ho to kuch soch samajh kar kiya hoga?’ Compared to that, this is very small.”
Why so much panic? We’ve already seen Pakistan's ISI getting access to Pathankot Airbase with this government's blessings.
— Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) February 16, 2026
Didn't they say then "Modi ne kiya ho to kuch soch samajh kar kiya hoga?"
Compared to that, this is very small. pic.twitter.com/gNNuAGQBPC
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi also weighed in, writing, “Since India’s national strategic interests are now tied to what US wants India to do, this visit seems to sync with that.”
She further added, “India’s history will remember the de-escalation announcement between India and Pak was announced on social media by the US President before Indians got to know from their own government. US Ambassador is doing the job for his nation, who is doing for us? The answer is blowing in the wind.”
Since India’s national strategic interests are now tied to what US wants India to do, this visit seems to sync with that. India’s history will remember the de-escalation announcement between India and Pak was announced on social media by the US President before Indians got to… pic.twitter.com/rYMq5NhJHA
— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) February 16, 2026
The visit comes against the backdrop of the growing US-India defence partnership.
Writer and political analyst @rajuparulekar commented on ‘X’, “East India Company is back!”
“Is it allowed for an ambassador to visit any army unit in india?” asked another user.
Several X users expressed concerns over the appropriateness of the visit.
One asked, “Is it allowed for an ambassador to visit any army unit in India?” Another wrote, “Why an ambassador visiting our army places? To talk to Chandigarh lobby for F-35?”
Why an ambassador visiting our army places ? To talk to chandigarh lobby for f-35 ??
— Rohan Sagar (@RohanSagar03) February 16, 2026
“We have completely sold Indian sovereignty. Rothschild the evil Bankers will now control NSE. Modi sold Bharat Mata to Trump . And now American imperialist is visiting our army command . Scary,” wrote another user.
“The Indian Army isn’t part of geopolitics, so why is he interested in visiting there?,” opined another.
The Indian Army isn’t part of geopolitics, so why is he interested in visiting there?
— Aditya Pratap Singh (@Adi_IIMCIAN) February 16, 2026
On Sunday, Gor welcomed Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), highlighting efforts to expand the growing US-India defence partnership.
In a post on X, Gor wrote, “Delighted to have @INDOPACOM Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo in India to expand the U.S.-India defense partnership. Now is the time to strengthen vital cooperation between our two nations.”
On Monday, Admiral Samuel J. Paparo Jr visited the headquarters of India’s Western Army Command along with the American envoy Sergio Gor. The delegation was briefed on the formation’s capabilities, its past operations, and future plans.
The American delegation also visited Bengaluru, where they met three start-ups, two in the space sector and one in defence, and participated in an Indo-US conference.
