The pictures of three members of a family crushed inside their car, after a tree uprooted due to heavy rains in the city on 8 September, still remains in the memory of many Bengalureans; however according to the Karnataka government, at least 96 people have lost their lives due to the heavy rains since March 2017.
The report released by Karnataka Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa, on Wednesday, said that out of the 30 districts in the state, rain-related deaths were reported in 23.
Death toll was highest in Bagalkot district, in northern Karnataka, where nine lives were lost due to the rain. It was followed by Uttara Kannada and Mysuru districts, where eight deaths each were reported. In the Bengaluru urban district, the death toll was seven, said the report.
Apart from the loss of human lives, 751 cattle were killed and 2,993 houses were damaged across the state. According to the report, 131 houses were damaged in the Bengaluru rural district alone. However, the revenue department officials said that more households in the state were marooned in the rain, even though they were not structurally damaged.
The state had seen more than the usual heavy rain in the recent months. Bengaluru received an entire year’s rainfall in just four months and half of this rainfall was reported in the month of September.
On an average, Bengaluru receives around 980 mm of rain in an year, but between 1 June and 30 September, the city recorded 950 mm of rain. Out of this, 513.8 mm rainfall was recorded in the month of September alone.
In fact, Bengaluru missed the all-time highest rainfall record for the month by a narrow margin of 2.8 mm. The highest rainfall during the month of September was recorded in 1986, with 516.6 mm of rain. In September 2017, the rainfall in the city was 513.8 mm.
With more rains expected in the coming days, the city administration and citizens are bracing for impact.
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