Army pressed into service in 4 flood-hit Karnataka dists; CM to undertake aerial survey
Kalaburagi (Karnataka): The flood situation remained grim on Sunday in four districts of Karnataka with Krishna and Bhima rivers in spate as the Army, the national and state disaster response forces undertook rescue work, evacuating hundreds of marooned people, officials said.
Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said many villages in Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Yadgir and Raichur districts were either completely or partially submerged due to floods caused by heavy rains last week and he would undertake an aerial survey of the affected areas on October 21.
According to the Karnataka Disaster Management Authority (KDMA), a total of 20,269 people, including 15,078 in badly- hit Kalaburgi, have been evacuated so far by the personnel of the Army, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) besides local police and district authorities.
There was no loss to human lives anywhere in the flood affected areas whereas two cattle died in Vijayapura, KDMA Commissioner Manoj Rajan said.
A total of 111 villages in the four districts have been affected by the floods, caused by heavy rains and water released by the dams in neighbouring Maharashtra.
"Two NDRF, one SDRF and one Army column have been deployed in Kalaburagi while two Indian Air Force helicopters are on standby. Similarly, the NDRF and the Army personnel are deployed in other three districts. Situation is under control," Rajan told PTI.
Yediyurappa said the floods have also resulted in damage to the crops.
"In the given circumstances, it has become necessary to carry out an aerial survey to understand the actual situation.
Against this background, I will be carrying out an aerial survey of Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Raichur and Vijayapura on October 21," he said in a release in Bengaluru.
Officials said river Bhima continued to remain in spate in Kalaburagi, Vijayapura and Yadgir districts while the surging Krishna river affected villages in Raichur.
Bhima, the major tributary of Krishna, has been in spate for the past one week due to the torrential rains in neighbouring Maharashtra and in parts of Karnataka.
The river was flowing 4.45 metres above the danger level and 1.61 metres above its previous Highest Flood Level, the Central Water Commission in its latest update.
According to the KDMA, as many as 55 villages across six taluks of Kalaburagi, thirteen villages in three taluks of Yadgir and 26 villages of Vijayapura were badly affected by the floods.
The authority said it has also identified 157 villages in Kalaburagi, 45 villages in Yadgir and 26 villages in Vijayapura as vulnerable.
Expressing solidarity with the flood-hit people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured the state of every cooperation from the Centre.
This is the third time the state has been hit by floods in the past three months following heavy monsoon rains.
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PM Modi arrives in Netherlands on second leg of his five-nation tour
Amsterdam (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the Netherlands on Friday on the second leg of his five-nation tour, during which he will hold talks with his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten to further deepen bilateral cooperation in areas such as trade, technology, defence and renewable energy.
The prime minister arrived in the Netherlands after a brief stopover of around two-and-a-half hours in the UAE, where he held talks with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.
Modi's visit to the European nation from May 15 to 17 is his second trip to the country after his 2017 visit and comes at what officials described as an "important juncture" in India-Netherlands ties.
During the visit, Prime Minister Modi will hold bilateral talks with PM Jetten and will also meet King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima.
Modi is also expected to address the Indian community and interact with leading Dutch business leaders during the visit.
MEA officials said the visit carries a “rich and substantive agenda” and is expected to consolidate the strategic dimensions of the partnership that have emerged through sustained engagement between the two countries.
India and the Netherlands have significantly expanded cooperation in recent years beyond traditional sectors such as trade, investment and the priority areas of water, agriculture and health.
The partnership has grown in strategic sectors, including technology, innovation, defence, security, semiconductors, renewable energy, education and the maritime domain, the MEA said.
The Netherlands is one of India’s largest trade destinations in Europe, with bilateral trade valued at USD 27.8 billion in 2024-25. It is also India’s fourth-largest investor, with cumulative foreign direct investment amounting to USD 55.6 billion, officials said.
People-to-people ties remain a key pillar of the bilateral relationship. The Netherlands is home to more than 90,000 non-resident Indians and persons of Indian origin, besides over 200,000 members of the Suriname-Hindustani community. Around 3,500 Indian students are currently enrolled in Dutch universities.
Officials noted that Modi's visit to the Netherlands and three other European nations -- Sweden, Norway, and Italy -- comes against the backdrop of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement finalised earlier this year and the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement signed in 2025.
