Anjum Parvez, district in-charge secretary, has asked officers of various departments to work in coordination to ensure effective flood management.
He asked officers to keep a close watch on the inflow into reservoirs and outflow, water levels in rivers, rainfall and discharge from neighbouring States, including Maharashtra, to ensure scientific and effective management of floods.
“Officers have a responsibility in managing the flood situation and also ensuring that people are not adversely affected by floods. To do this, all of us have to work in coordination. We should also be in constant touch with our counterparts in neighbouring States,’‘ he said, at a meeting in Chikkodi in Belagavi district on Thursday.
“It is better to take preventive measures than to try and work towards rehabilitation. However, we should not delay sanction of compensation to flood victims. We should try and avert loss of human and cattle life. However, if any family suffers loss of human life or cattle, they should be compensated immediately,” he said.
“Belagavi is a large district and the field staff have a significant responsibility in responding to the situation. He asked teams of field officers, including the revenue inspectors, village accountants and panchayat development officers to visit each affected house in the villages in their jurisdiction. In fact, a survey of all vulnerable property should be conducted before it starts raining. Residents should be warned about it. Alternative arrangements must be made wherever possible,” he said.
He observed that some of the data upload of affected property in 2019 was not proper. Such errors should be avoided and officers should conduct a proper survey and register houses as per scheduled categories, he said.
He also asked officers to take up cleaning and hygiene campaigns in affected villages after the floods subside. This will stop the spread of diseases and ensure clean water supply, he said.
If some farmers have suffered losses due to seeds being washed away, their seed stock should be replenished. Agriculture officers should ensure 100% cultivation. Quantity and quality of seeds should be monitored, he said.
Mr. Parvez visited the gruel centre in Barawad village near Nippani. Some farmers in Yamagarani told him that their village suffered flooding every year and demanded that the government find a permanent solution to the problem. They complained that due to rigid technical specifications, they have not been able to build houses on alternative sites. The secretary said that he will look into all such issues.
Deputy Commissioner Nitesh Patil, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Harshal Boyer, Assistant Commissioner Madhav Gitte, Probationary Officer Shubham Shukla and others were present.
