Flood Situation Grim In Southern, Western States; 97 Dead

Kerala and Karnataka were facing a grim situation on Saturday as floods and landslides triggered by torrential rains left 66 people dead, while over four lakh people were evacuated in Maharashtra and 19 lost their lives in rain-related incidents in Gujarat.

Forty two people died in rain-related incidents with 80 landslides in eight districts of Kerala since Aug. 8, Chief Minister Prinayai Vijayan said.

Nearly 1.25 lakh people have been displaced in Kerala including nearly 25,000 each in worst-hit Wayanad and Kozhikode. Forty-two people died in rain-related incidents with 80 landslides in eight districts of Kerala since Aug. 8, officials said.

Many people are still feared trapped under debris following major landslides in Kavalappara in Malappuram and Puthumala in Meppadi in Wayanad. A red alert for rainfall has been issued in eight districts of Ernakulam, Idukki, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasargod.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said he might visit his flood-ravaged constituency of Wayanad on Aug. 11.

“Probably going to Kerala tomorrow. I don't want to disturb the rescue missions there. If I go there, I will be there for two days. I have spoken to the prime minister, (Kerala) chief minister, district collector and Congress workers of the state,” he told reporters in New Delhi.

One of the four shutters of the Banasurasagar dam, located about 21 km from Kalpetta in Wayanad, one of the worst affected districts, was opened at 3 p.m. to discharge excess water and people on the banks of the Kabini river have been asked to be cautious.

Banasurasagar, one of the largest earth dams in India and the second-largest of its kind in Asia, impounds the Karamanathodu tributary of the Kabini River.

Across the state, around 1.24 lakh people have been shifted to 1,111 relief camps, including 24,990 in Wayanad, the officials said.

As rescue operations were on in Kavalappara, another landslide occurred in the region on Saturday due to which search operations have been halted.

Several trains have been cancelled and flight operations from the Kochi international airport, which had been suspended following inundation, will resume at noon on Sunday, an airport official said.

The flood situation worsened in Karnataka too, where the death toll rose to 24 in rain-related incidents.

Besides Belagavi, the affected districts are Bagaklote, Vijayapura, Raichur, Yadgir, Gadag, Uttara Kannada, Haveri, Hubballi-Dharwad, Dakshina Kannada, Chikkamagaluru, and Kodagu.

The backwaters of Tungabhadra flooded parts of Davangere district blocking many roads.

Landslides were reported near Maranahalli in Sakaleshpur, said official sources. The entire Pane Mangaluru village in Dakshina Kannada district was inundated by the swollen Netravati river, they said.

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has termed the natural calamity the ‘biggest’ in 45 years.

The state government pegged the losses caused by rains and floods at Rs 6,000 crore and Yediyurappa revealed that his government has sought Rs 3,000 crore as relief from the Centre.

The state government pegged the losses caused by rains and floods at Rs 6,000 crore and Yediyurappa revealed that his government has sought Rs 3,000 crore as relief from the Centre.

The flood situation in Kolhapur and Sangli districts in western Maharashtra showed signs of improvement as water started to recede from inundated areas, officials said.

Three more bodies were recovered in the boat capsize incident that took place on Thursday near Brahmanal village in Palus tehsil of Sangli district during the flood rescue operations.

Nine persons had drowned and as many others had gone missing in the incident.

With the recovery of three more bodies, the death toll in the incident has gone up to 12.

A total of 26 Navy teams with 110 personnel and 26 boats have been deployed in Kolhapur and Sangli districts. They will continue to remain stationed in the area till the flood situation improves, a defence statement said.

Additional 15 teams of the Navy from Visakhapatnam will reach Kolhapur by Saturday afternoon to assist in the rescue operation, a defence spokesperson said.

At present, there are 14 Navy teams in Kolhapur district and 12 in Sangli helping the state administration in evacuating the flood-hit areas, the official said.

In Gujarat, 19 people have been killed in rain-related incidents.

As of Saturday morning, the state received 77.80 percent of annual average rainfall, according to data by the MeT Department.

“Seventeen dams are overflowing. Last year, by the end of monsoon, dams had only 56 percent water. This year there is 60 percent water stock in dams already,” Chief Minister Vijay Rupani told reporters.