Rain, floods wreak havoc in several states; Kerala, Maharashtra worst hit

New Delhi: Incessant downpour battered several states, including Kerala, Maharashtra and Karnataka, on Friday, with landslips and floods throwing normal life out of gear.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely at Kerala, Maharashtra, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan in the next 24 hours, according to a forecast by the India Meteorological Department.

Kerala

At least 43 people died over the past three days in rain-related incidents in the state, which is again at the receiving end of the nature's fury.

Over 80 people are feared trapped under debris in major landslides that took place in Wayanad and Malappuram.

Rail, road and air transport took a hit in the state with several trains being cancelled and the Cochin International Airport shut till August 11 due to waterlogging in almost 60 per cent region of its operational area.

A red alert for rainfall has been issued in nine of the 14 districts in the state and all educational institutions will remain closed.

Over 64,000 people have been shifted to 738 relief camps across the state, officials said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who represents the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat from Kerala, spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the floods and sought aid.

Maharashtra

Over 2.85 lakh people have been evacuated due to the devastating floods in western Maharashtra's five districts, including the worst-hit Kolhapur and Sangli, with the death toll reaching 29 on Friday.

The region is being pummeled by rain over the last few days, and major rivers, including the Krishna and Panchaganga, are in spate.

A total of 34 rescue teams are working in Kolhapur and 36 in Sangli. These include teams of the NDRF, Navy, Coast Guard and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).

Karnataka

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said 12 people have died in rain-related incidents.

The floods and rains have left a trail of destruction in vast areas of north, coastal and Malnad districts of the state.

JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda on Friday pressed Modi to declare the floods in Karnataka as a national disaster of severe nature.

Gowda said the flood situation in the state has worsened.

More rains are forecast in the state, already reeling under the floods and heavy downpour in North, coastal and Malnad regions continuing to pile up misery on the people with the situation still remaining grim.

As an instant relief, the finance department released Rs 100 crore towards flood relief.

At least four members of a family were killed and one person is missing when a house on a foothill collapsed due to landslip in the hillock at Korangaala in Bhagamandala, the catchment area of the Cauvery river in Kodagu district, the police said.

The police added that the rescuers brought out four bodies, while a search was on for the fifth person.

Officials said 80,000 more people from flood-hit and rain-affected areas in Karnataka have been evacuated.

Joint rescue teams, comprising personnel from the Fire and Emergency Department, State Disaster Response Force, National Disaster Response Force and Army have evacuated 1,24,291 people so far, an official statement said Friday.

The cumulative figure for yesterday was 43,858.

In Belagavi district, the worst-hit by the floods, six people have lost their lives, while 1,410 kms of road and 4,019 government buildings have been damaged.

Madhya Pradesh

Around 1,000 people were evacuated in Dhar and Barwani districts of Madhya Pradesh on Friday with the river Narmada flowing above the danger mark, as rains lashed all parts of the state.

At least one dead in rain-related incidents, along with cases of people being swept away in flooded rivers and going missing.

Sluice gates of seven of the 28 dams in the state have been opened due to rise in water levels, officials said.

Tushar Solanki (10) was crossing a bridge on the overflowing Balwati river on bicycle at Badnawar in Dhar district on Friday evening when he was swept away, police inspector C V Singh said.

Some passers-by pulled him out of the water but he died at hospital, the police official said.

Around 1,000 people were evacuated to safer places in Barwani and Dhar districts in western Madhya Pradesh where the Narmada was flowing above the danger mark following heavy downpour in the 24 hours ended 8.30 am on Friday.

Fifteen sluice gates of the Bargi dam on the Narmada in Jabalpur district were opened following incessant rain in eastern Madhya Pradesh, officials said.

Rains are lashing almost the entire state for the last two days, said P K Shah of the India Meteorological Department's Bhopal office.

"Heavy to very heavy" rainfall is likely in 21 districts, including Rajgarh, Guna, Sehore, Harda and Hoshangabad and Ujjain and Indore divisions till 8.30 am on Saturday, Shah said.

Other states

Meanwhile, Delhiites experienced a humid day with the maximum temperature settling at 34 degrees Celsius in the national capital on Friday.

Relative humidity levels oscillated between 84 per cent and 67 per cent as the national capital received 0.9 mm rains between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm.

In Andhra Pradesh, 31 members belonging to the fishing community, including 12 women, who were trapped in the raging Godavari river at Polavaram were rescued by the Navy.

Heavy and incessant rains in south and west Odisha earlier this week claimed at least three lives, left two missing and hit over 1.3 lakh people in nine districts, officials said.

The damage caused by the rainfall was known after the flood water receded from the submerged areas on Friday and the situation returned to normal, they said.

MeT Department officials said the recent spell of downpour was triggered by a deep depression which has now weakened and moved out of Odisha.

However, a fresh bout of rainfall is likely to lash the state after three days due to a cyclonic circulation in the area, they said.