Bangalore:
With a let up in the rains, the flood situation in north Karnataka has begun to ease slightly. But all dams in the region remain full and rivers carrying water to Andhra Pradesh remain swollen.
At least 169 people have died in the floods that wreaked havoc starting Friday. In the 16 affected districts - Belgaum, Gulbarga, Bijapur, Raichur, Dharwad, Bagalkote, Bellary, Koppal, Haveri, Bidar, Gadag, Davanagere, Karwar, Dakshina Kannada - lakhs of people remain in shelters as their homes have been destroyed. The state government's 589 relief centres currently house 17.7 lakh people.
More than 17 villages in Bijapur district - the worst affected in the state - are marooned. More than 10,000 people have been left homeless in these areas.
The Air Force is continuing its mission of flying out helicopters to rescue the stranded and drop food to the needy. Most of the families have no food to eat as all their stored food grains and other commodities have been washed away in the flood.
The Centre has sent a team of 144 National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) personnel with 29 boats to various districts. Besides, a batch of 1100 personnel of the Karnataka State Reserve Police KSRP are on ground for various relief operations.
The Chief Minister has announced Rs 12 crore relief aid to eachaffected district. The state government's first damage assessmentreport is expected late on Sunday.