Page 7 - Floods

Amid political unrest, faltering economy, Pak floods turn into a nightmare

Pakistan's climate minister, Sherry Rehman, called the floods a catastrophe of "very epic proportion"

Bengaluru deluge: Tech companies pour out woes before Karnataka IT Minister

Technology companies, which bore the brunt of recent flood due to heavy rains in the city, on Wednesday aired their grievances before Karnataka IT/BT Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan, urging him to find a solution to the rain-related woes. At a meeting convened by Narayan to discuss the problems caused by the unprecedented rainfall, the representatives of several IT companies said their primary concern was to bring to the notice of the government the miseries they faced and the losses incurred. In reply, the Minister assured them that the state government will help find a permanent solution to the infrastructural issues in the Mahadevpura zone, which witnessed water-logging, by next year. Narayan also sought the cooperation of tech companies to retain the status of 'Bangalore Brand'. A virtual meeting will be conducted every month from now on to resolve the grievances of entrepreneurs, a statement issued by the office of the Minister. He also said that the government will examine ..

Deluge in Bengaluru prompts demand for hotel rooms; tariffs surge

The deluge in Bengaluru has led to a spike in demand for hotel rooms and a surge in room tariffs in some hotels as people escape waterlogged homes. Most hotels in the city already had a very high occupancy before parts of Bengaluru got marooned and current high rates were not a direct consequence of the floods, said industry players. When contacted, an OYO spokesperson said: "The average tariff for OYOs in Bangalore currently stands a little over Rs 1,000, making OYO an affordable and easily accessible stay option for flood affected people in the city. Our 'Nearby stays' option and 'Pay at hotel' facility makes booking an OYO easy for the rain drenched Bangaloreans looking for hotels. We hope to support as many Bangaloreans with quality stays during this challenging time for the city." At Leela Palace Bengaluru, a staff said the pricing has always been dynamic based on occupancy and demand. At present the existing rate for a standard double room for a night is Rs 15,750 plus taxes p

In rain-affected Bengaluru, tractors turn unlikely heroes on roads

Tractor is the new buzz word trending in the high-tech circles of the city

High corruption, bad governance, says ex-Infosys CFO on Bengaluru floods

Information technology industry veteran T V Mohandas Pai has said the havoc caused in Bengaluru due to heavy rains was a result of multiple factors, including bad governance, high corruption and lack of urban reforms. Both political leaders and bureaucrats have failed the citizens, the former Chief Financial Officer of IT major Infosys Ltd said on the floods in parts of Bengaluru following two days of torrential rains. "...result of ineffective government, bad governance and high corruption. Money is allocated and largely shoddy work due to high corruption, lack of capability in the corporation, illegal construction, the list goes on," Pai told PTI. It also shows lack of urban reforms across all our cities over the last 30 years, he added.

Pakistan floods show climate adaptation requires international support

Flooding in Pakistan shows that climate adaptation requires international support and regional co-operation

CM Bommai blames 'maladministration' of Congress govts for Bengaluru floods

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday blamed the previous Congress governments' 'maladministration' and unprecedented rains in the capital city for the deluge. He said, despite all odds, his government has taken it up as a challenge to restore the rain battered city, and make sure that such things don't recur in the future. Owing to the torrential downpour that lashed the state capital for the last couple of days, several areas are still under water with houses and vehicles partially inundated, there by affecting normal life. "Karnataka, especially Bengaluru has not received unprecedented heavy rain.. for the last 90 years such rain has not been recorded. All the tanks are full and are overflowing, some of them have breached, and there have been continuous rains, every day it is raining," Bommai said. Speaking to reporters here, he said a picture is being portrayed that the entire city is facing difficulties, which is not the case. "Basically the issue lies in two .

Bengaluru rains: Woman dies due to electrocution on a flooded road

A 23-year-old woman has allegedly died due to electrocution after she came into contact with an electric pole while navigating a road flooded with rain water at Siddapura here, police said on Tuesday. According to police sources, the incident is said to have taken place on Monday night, when the victim was returning home on her scooter. According to eyewitnesses, on reaching the stretch of a road that was waterlogged, the lady's vehicle broke down and she lost balance. As she was trying to regain balance to move ahead, she is said to have touched an electric pole nearby for support and got electrocuted. Locals rushed the woman to a hospital, where she succumbed, sources said. The deceased was working in the admin department of a private school. Investigation is on, they added.

Death toll from Pakistan floods rises to 1,325 with 11 more fatalities

At least 11 more people were killed in Pakistan in the last 24 hours due to catastrophic floods, taking the death toll to 1,325 in the country amidst efforts to minimise the losses by rescuing the people and providing them food and shelter. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said in its update that 12,703 people were also injured due to accidents related to floods, which were triggered by the monsoon rains. Though the situation has improved in the mountainous north where flash floods washed away houses and commercial buildings but Sindh province in the south is still braving floods, and its Dadu district is still under threat. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a visit to Sindh's Qambar-Shahdadkot district announced a 2.5 times increase in the compensation amount set aside for flood-affected individuals from Rs28 billion to Rs72 billion. The programme will now cover hundreds of thousands of more families, he said. The government is trying to address the issues fac

Sudan's death toll due to heavy rains rises to 112; 250 villages destroyed

The death toll from the recent heavy rains and floods in Sudan has climbed to 112, the country's National Council for Civil Defence said

Nearly 1,300 people die in Pakistan due to floods even as rescue ops on

Pakistan's catastrophic floods resulted in the death of nearly 1,300 people in the country even as relief operations continue

India ready to send humanitarian aid for floods, Pak yet to accept: Sources

Foreign ministry officials of both countries were initially in touch for distribution of aid but Indian officials now say they aren't hearing from Islamabad

Outbreak of waterborne diseases in Pakistan amid floods raises concern

The outbreak of waterborne diseases in areas hit by recent record-breaking floods in Pakistan has raised concerns among health officials

Flood Relief Fund to be audited to ensure transparency: Pak PM Shehbaz

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday announced to get PM Flood Relief Fund audited by the Accountant General Pakistan Revenues (AGPR) and a private audit firm to ensure transparency.He also announced that audit reports will be made public, reported Geo News. Taking to Twitter, the prime minister said that the decision was made as he made a commitment to ensure transparency."As per my commitment to ensuring transparency, Government has decided to get PM Flood Relief Fund audited by AGPR & a private audit firm of global standing. They will audit all incoming & outgoing funds including where & how the money is spent. The audit reports will be made public," tweeted Shehbaz.Shehbaz established a relief fund last month to help the people affected by the floods and appealed to the public to contribute, reported Geo News.He also expressed gratitude to Chinese President Xi Jinping for increasing his country's assistance package from the initial RMB 100 million ..

US defence department plans aid mission to Pakistan amid devastating floods

The United States is conducting a military assistance mission to flood-devastated Pakistan, the US armed forces' Central Command (CENTCOM) said

Aug 30 flood in Bengaluru led to a loss of Rs 225 cr: IT firms to CM Bommai

The flood on August 30 which brought parts of Bengaluru to its knees led to a loss of about Rs 225 crore on a single day, the Information Technology and banking companies said in their letter to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai seeking his attention to address the "appalling infrastructure" of the city. In a letter to Bommai dated September 1, the Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA) said half-a-million professionals are employed along the Outer Ring Road (ORR) between Central Silk Board and Krishnaraja Puram corridor. President of the ORRCA Manas Das and vice-president Archana Tayade said this corridor measuring about 17 km provides employment to close to one million people. ORR IT generates revenue of USD 22 billion per annum, which is 32 per cent of Bengaluru's revenue, and is the highest tax contributor, they said. The poor infrastructure on this corridor, however, is bringing down the efficiency and productivity of the companies and putting employee safety and wellbein

US Congress members to visit Pak to express solidarity with flood victims

Members of the United States Congress Sheila Jackson and Tom Suozzi have left for a two-day visit to the flood-affected Pakistan on Saturday, in a bid to show solidarity with the victims

Over one-third of Pakistan underwater amid its worst floods in history

As deadly floodwaters threaten to create secondary disasters, food is in short supply after water covered millions of acres of crops and wiped out hundreds of thousands of livestock

Death toll from Pakistan floods reaches 1,208, damages mount to $10 billion

Floods triggered by Pakistan's record rains in three decades accompanied by the melting of glaciers have killed over 1,200 people and rendered millions of others without food and shelter, according to the latest national data on Friday. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said its situation report that 416 children and 244 women were among those killed while another 6,082 people were injured. Floods have inundated a third of the country with the southern province of Sindh and the southwestern region of Balochistan being the worst hit. Dadu district of Sindh was the latest to face the fury of nature as the water was rising due to a surge in the flow of water down the River Indus. A total of 1,208 people have been killed by flash floods triggered by record monsoon rains across much of Pakistan, the NDMA said in a statement. Officials said that 10,000 to 15,000 cusecs of water were being discharged from Manchhar Lake into River Indus on Friday morning while 70,000 to 80,

Pakistan inflation hits record 47-year high before full impact of flood

Consumer prices rose 27.26% last month from a year earlier, according to data released by the government Thursday.