Twenty-two months after the August 2024 floods devastated large parts of Kodagu district, more than 1,200 families remain in government-run transit camps and relief shelters, still waiting for the permanent housing promised under the state’s disaster rehabilitation scheme.

The 2024 floods — triggered by an unprecedented 72-hour rainfall event — caused landslides across 14 villages in Somwarpet, Madikeri, and Virajpet taluks, destroying over 3,400 homes and rendering vast areas of farmland unusable.

What Was Promised

The state government announced a ₹1.8 lakh crore rehabilitation package within weeks of the disaster, including ₹5 lakh per family for house reconstruction or relocation, restoration of coffee and paddy plantations, and road and infrastructure repair.

What Has Been Delivered

According to data from the Kodagu District Administration:

  • 2,140 families have received the first instalment of house reconstruction funds
  • 680 families have received the full amount and are at various stages of rebuilding
  • 1,200 families remain in transit camps, with their cases pending due to land disputes, unclear title documents, or their original land having been classified as landslide-prone and ineligible for reconstruction

The land classification issue is the most complex. Families whose homes sat on land now classified as “hazard zone” by the Geological Survey of India cannot rebuild on the same site and must be relocated — a process requiring new land allocation, which has proceeded slowly due to scarcity of suitable government land in the hilly terrain.

Life in the Camps

Conditions in the transit camps vary. Some temporary shelters, built quickly in 2024, are now showing structural wear. Families report leaking roofs, inadequate toilets, and cramped space — two to three families often sharing a single room.

Children who were enrolled in temporary school arrangements have now returned to permanent schools in the nearest towns, but daily commutes of 15–20 km are common for camp residents.

“We have adapted to this life because we have no choice,” said one woman who lost her house in a landslide near Kushalnagar. “But we are not living. We are waiting.”

What Activists Are Demanding

Advocacy groups have filed a PIL in the Karnataka High Court seeking a time-bound resettlement plan. The court has issued notices to the state government and directed the district administration to file a status report within eight weeks.