Heavy Rains: Three dead so far in Chikmagalur district; 92 houses severely damaged
Chikamagalur: In Coffenadu, the monsoon arrived later than usual this year, but the past month has been marred by severe calamities caused by heavy rainfall. A staggering 97 houses in the district have been completely destroyed, and tragically, three lives have been lost. Additionally, the torrential rains have wreaked havoc on the region's crops, with 61.73 hectares of horticultural crops and 5815 hectares of agricultural crops suffering damage due to the combination of heavy rainfall and inadequate precipitation.
On Wednesday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah held a video conversation with the District Collector, Zilla Panchayat CEO regarding the heavy rains and the district administration provided complete information about the losses in the district. According to the information provided by the district administration to the state government, three people have died in the rain so far in the district.
Mukesh of Ganjikere village, Lakkavali Hobali of Tarikere taluk was killed by lightning on July 11, while Kochiho of Ambedkar Nagar, Devammaju of Daradahalli in Ambedkar nagar of Mudigere Taluk died after falling to a stream on July 19. Both the deceased have been given compensation. On June 25, Revamma of Hossiddarahalli of Kadur taluk, was found dead after being washed away in the stream. The compensation will be given after the post-mortem report.
Damage to 97 houses across the district: Due to rain, 97 houses in the district completely collapsed and were damaged. Houses were Totally damaged, in Mudigere taluk 4 houses, 3 in Chikmagalur taluk, 1 house in Koppa.
There were 26 minor damages in the district, 5 in Chikmagalur taluk, 3 in Mudigere, 2 in Koppa, 5 in NR Pura, 6 in Kadur, 3 in Tarikere and 2 in Kalasa. 652 houses were partially damaged across the district, 12 in Chikmagalur taluk, 9 in Mudigere, 8 in Sringeri, 9 in Koppa, 8 in NR pura, 2 in Kadur Tarikere, 3 in Ajjapur and 5 in Kalasa taluk.
A total of 61.73 hectares of horticulture crops grown by 183 farmers in the district were damaged. In Chikmagalur taluk one farmer owns 0.59 hectare, 59 farmers in Kadur 25.60 hectare, 10 people in Koppa taluk 3 hectares, 25 people in Narapur own 4.40 hectare, 5 farmers in Sringeri own 1.20 hectare, 51 people in Tarikere own 16.34 hectare, 31 farmers in Ajjampara own 10.60 hectare of horticulture crop was damaged.
The seeds sown by 6600 farmers of the Agriculture Department in 5815 hectare area have been damaged due to lack of timely rains. 1351 hectares in Chikmagalur taluk, 1365 hectares in Kadur and 1470 hectares in Tarikere taluk have been damaged.
80.21 km of road belonging to the Public Works Department was damaged and 36.92 crores was incurred as the road was damaged. 53.20 km in Chikmagalur Taluk with a loss of about 11.90 crore, 9.55 crore loss was recorded for 1 km of road in Mudigere, 411 km for Koppa with loss of 5.27 crore, Sringeri a stretch of 10.70 km loss of 3.70 crore, Narasimharajapura 0.70 km road incurring loose of 6 crore, 10.50 km road in Kadur was damaged causing a loss of 50 lakhs. Meanwhile In the Zilla Panchayat Engineering Department, Chikmagalur Taluk, the following road lengths have been damaged: 10.15 km road in Koppa, incurring a loss of 2.21 crore rupees, 6.05 km road in Koppa, causing a loss of 1.25 crore rupees, 124.50 km road in Moodigere, resulting in a loss of 9.95 crore rupees, 5.10 km road in N.R. Pura, with a loss of 6.87 crore rupees, 46 km road in Shringeri, leading to a loss of 3.63 crore rupees.
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
