25-member NDRF team lands in hilly district; to conduct mock drills in vulnerable areas 

Madikeri: With only a few hours left for the onset of monsoon as per the forecast by Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the Kodagu District Administration, which battled two devastating floods and landslips in the last two years, is leaving little to chance in the rich coffee-growing district.

As if to showcase its preparedness to combat the floods, a team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has already landed in Kodagu and they are being familiarised with the district’s hilly terrain and possible risks while rescuing or evacuating people. Fortunately for Kodagu, the number of COVID-19 positive cases is negligible when compared to districts like Udupi, Mandya and Kalaburagi.

The 25-member NDRF team is a part of 10th Battalion stationed in Guntur and Vijayawada Districts of Andhra Pradesh and at Madikeri, they have been housed at ‘Maithri,’ the Kodagu District Police Bhavan. The team will be in the district till the monsoon ends or till the Kodagu Administration needs assistance and has come from Andhra Pradesh, following a request by the Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy.

Rescue mission

The team was accorded a warm welcome by Kodagu District Disaster Management Authority head Ananya Vasudev. NDRF Commander R.K. Upadhyaya said that the team will be of great help during floods and landslides if they occur in the district like the last two years. “It is not possible for us to prevent damage but we can rescue people who are in trouble or rescue people who are marooned in flood waters,” he said.

Caught unawares due to the unpredictable heavy rains and landslides in Kodagu in 2018, the State Government and the local administration were criticised for not taking adequate precautions. In 2018, the NDRF team was summoned when the floods and landslides were at its peak. As such, a team of NDRF personnel had camped in the district before the onset of monsoon last year.

In tandem with officers

Remarkably, the team was able to rescue many people caught in floods and landslips last year. The NDRF team will function in tandem with the Revenue Department, Police, State Disaster Response Force and also the Forest Department.

In Karnataka, the NDRF teams have been deployed at Chikkamagalur, Belagavi and Dharwad. Last year too, the same NDRF team led by Commander Upadhyaya had served in Kodagu. Before coming to Kodagu this year, the team rescued hundreds of people hit by cyclone Imphan in Odisha.

Over 35 locations in Kodagu have been identified as vulnerable by the Geological Survey of India (GSI), including 13 locations classified as highly vulnerable. District officials are in the process of identifying areas vulnerable to floods and landslips based on the data sourced from the GSI and also the data collated from previous tragedies.

GSI findings

The GSI findings point out that deforestation, conversion due to the rapid commercialisation of the hill station that is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the State and country are the main reasons for the rampant landslides.

The heavy rains that lashed Kodagu for weeks in August 2018 claimed the lives of at least 18 to 20 people, cattle and destroyed hundreds of acres of coffee estates and other properties. Even last year it rained and there were reports of loss of over a dozen lives  at Thora village along Kerala border in Virajpet taluk while four to five persons are missing till today. Also there were many incidents of villages getting marooned for days together leaving many homeless.

Efficient equipment

Equipment including unmanned boats, inflatable floating bridges and dewatering pumps to attend to any flood-like emergency situation will be used this time. Woodcutting machines and life jackets too have been stocked. The unmanned boats will help personnel transport ropes and life jackets across flooded areas.

District Administration sources told ‘Star of Mysore’ that the NDRF team will survey the vulnerable areas of the district and conduct mock drills simulating disaster scenarios to instil confidence in people. The authorities, like last year, have planned to relocate families living illegally close to river banks to mitigate sufferings. Government land has been identified to relocate them, officers added.