Karnataka: Chikkamagaluru faces loss of over Rs 100 crore due to monsoon, ban for Mullayanagiri peak continues

The Chikkamagaluru district in Karnataka has faced severe monsoon damage, with losses exceeding Rs 100 crores. Significant road and bridge damages, along with agricultural and infrastructural impacts, have been reported. Mullayanagiri Peak remains closed to tourists due to road collapses. The district administration is actively addressing the extensive damage with allocated funds.

The Chikkamagaluru district in Karnataka has reported severe damage due to continuous heavy monsoon rains, resulting in losses amounting to more than ₹100 crores over the past week. The district administration has submitted a detailed report to the state government highlighting the extent of the damage.

Chikkamagaluru District Collector, Meena Nagaraj, provided an update, stating that the district has allocated ₹48 crore to the Panchayat Raj Engineering Department (PRED) and ₹56 crore to the Public Works Department (PWD) to address the damages. The PWD reported significant road damage, covering a total of 8.40 kilometres and causing losses of ₹23.45 crore. Specific areas affected include 6.43 km in Chikkamagaluru taluk, 0.98 km in Koppa, 0.35 km in Mudigere taluk, 0.22 km in Sringeri, and 0.47 km in Narasimharajapura.

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Infrastructural damage

A total of 41 bridges across the district have been damaged, incurring losses of ₹31.24 crore. In detail, 7 bridges were damaged in Chikkamagaluru taluk, 5 in Koppa, 20 in Mudigere, 3 each in Sringeri and Narasimharajapura, 2 in Tarikere, and 1 in Kadur.

Mudigere taluk experienced the heaviest damage, with losses amounting to ₹17.02 crore. Other areas also faced significant losses: ₹9.80 crore in Chikkamagaluru taluk, ₹16.60 crore in Koppa taluk, ₹2.20 crore in Sringeri taluk, ₹1.90 crore in Narasimharajapura, ₹8.50 crore in Tarikere taluk, and ₹70 lakh in Kadur taluk.

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Road damage

The PRED department reported 339.34 kilometres of road damage, resulting in losses of ₹41.02 crore. Additionally, 27 bridges and culverts were damaged at a cost of ₹5.26 crore. Seven lakes were also affected, incurring a loss of ₹56.50 lakh. Furthermore, 12 primary school buildings were damaged, costing ₹86.50 lakh, and 10 government buildings were damaged, resulting in a loss of ₹1.13 lakh.

The rains caused damage to 192 houses in the district. Out of these, 122 houses were severely damaged, with total repair costs amounting to ₹67.5 lakh. For 19 houses among the 70 partially damaged ones, ₹1.9 lakh has been allocated for repairs.

In the agricultural sector, 80 acres of horticultural crops were damaged, causing losses of ₹19 lakh. A total of 284 farmers, including 93 very small farmers and 191 small farmers, suffered losses. Additionally, four cattle lost their lives due to the rain. Fortunately, no human lives were lost in the past month.

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From January to date, the district has received an average rainfall of 887 mm, which is expected to exceed the normal annual rainfall of 1096 mm.

Restrictions continue for the Mullayanagiri peak

Due to the extensive damage, tourist vehicles are banned for another week in the Mullayanagiri region, a major tourist destination. The road between Mullayanagiri and Sitalayanagiri has collapsed in several places, and the Public Works Department has requested an additional week to complete the necessary repairs.