Heavy rains lash large parts of country; situation grim in Maharashtra, Karnataka | HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY
As the flood situation turned grim in Maharashtra's Kolhapur and surrounding areas, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called up Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Karnataka Chief Minster BS Yediyurappa, requesting help for the lakhs of the affected people.The busy Pune-Bengaluru Highway has been shut for all traffic as a precautionary measure in view of the torrential rain, besides other state and district roads from where incidents of landslide and boulder crashes have been reported, though there are no casualties. READ ON TO KNOW HOW THE RAINY DAY UNFOLDED IN MAHARASHTRA, KARNATAKA AND THE ADJACENT REGION:
As the flood situation turned grim in Maharashtra's Kolhapur and surrounding areas, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called up Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Karnataka Chief Minster BS Yediyurappa, requesting help for the lakhs of the affected people.
Fadnavis requested Rajnath Singh to help coordinate and expedite flood rescue and relief efforts through agencies like the National Disaster Response Force, the Army, the Air Force, the Coast Guard and others in the worst-hit Kolhapur and Sangli districts.
Earlier, he also spoke with his Karnataka counterpart Yediyurappa and urged him to discharge water from the Almatti Dam which can ease the situation for Maharashtra. He has been assured of a positive action, said an official from the Maharashtra Chief Minister's Office (CMO).
Officials estimate over 50,000 people may be directly or indirectly hit by the floods in urban and rural centres in Maharashtra and Karnataka as rains continued to batter the region since the past five days.
The busy Pune-Bengaluru Highway has been shut for all traffic as a precautionary measure in view of the torrential rain, besides other state and district roads from where incidents of landslide and boulder crashes have been reported, though there are no casualties.
READ ON TO KNOW HOW THE RAINY DAY UNFOLDED IN MAHARASHTRA, KARNATAKA AND THE ADJACENT REGION:
11:00 pm: Fadnavis seeks help from Yediyurappa and Rajnath Singh
10:45 pm: At least three people died while two others were missing due to incessant rainfall that triggered flash floods in Odisha, the government said on Thursday.
10:29 pm: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday conducted an aerial survey of flood-affected areas of East Godavari district and announced special aid of Rs 5,000 each to the families whose homes were submerged.
10:15 pm: Heavy rainfall with intense showers likely at isolated places in Chamoli, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh districts in the coming hours: Bikram Singh, Director of India Meteorological Department, Dehradun.
10:06 pm: Schools and colleges to remain closed as 'red alert' continues in Dakshina Kannada.
09:41 pm:
09:15 pm: Operations suspended at Kochi airport as a precautionary measure. No operations till 12 am.
08:55 pm: Cabinet Secretary, PK Sinha chaired the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) meeting today, to review the prevailing situation in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and Gujarat.
08:15 pm: 43858 people have been evacuated by the Joint rescue team comprising of Fire and Emergency, SDRF, NDRF and Army in Karnataka's Belagavi district. Nodal officers are camping in vulnerable villages. Two Indian Airforce choppers deployed. Request for one more chopper sent to AOC.
7:45 pm: "27 people died due to floods in five districts of Pune, Maharashtra. Over two lakh people have been evacuated to safe places till now from three districts including Kolhapur, Sangli, and Satara," said Deepak Mhaisekar, Divisional Commissioner of Pune Division.
6:30 pm: Several trains have been cancelled affected from August 8 to August 12 on Western Railway, due to heavy rain and water-logging at Kim and Kosamba stations of Vadodara Division.
6:00 pm: In pictures: Monsoon rains lash Karnataka's Hubballi,water entered into the houses , Cars seen submerged into the flooded water
3:40 pm: Two died and five were injured after wall of a house collapsed in Madan Mohan Malviya Ward, Jagdalpur, due to heavy rains in the region, today in Chhattisgarh, reports ANI
3:30 pm: Indian Army continues rescue operations in flooded affected areas of Gokak, Chikkodi, and Mandawali
3:26 pm: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis takes stock of flood situation
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took stock of flood situation in Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara through an aerial survey with other state ministers.
3:20 pm:
12:55 pm: Deepak Mhaisekar, Divisional Comissioner of Pune Division: A boat overturned near Bhamnal in Palus block of Sangli district. There were 27-30 villagers on that boat. So far, 9 bodies have been recovered, and 16 people have been rescued. Rest still missing.
12:50 pm: Kerala CM P Vijayan chaired a high-level meeting with top government officials today to take stock of the situation, as parts of the state are facing flood-like situation due to incessant rainfall.
12:45 pm: Pictures show parts of Idukki district are flooded following heavy rainfall in Kerala.
12:40 pm: NDRF: 28 teams have been deployed and 5 more teams are being sent to Maharashtra. 11 teams have been deployed and 5 more being sent to Karnataka. 5 teams are being deployed in Kerala.
12:35 pm: Boulders hit an unoccupied car following a landslide caused by heavy and incessant rainfall in Shimla.
12:27 pm: Flooding in Nilambur and Perinthalmanna areas of Malappuram district in Kerala due to heavy rainfall
12:23 pm: Bhamragad area of Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra flooded following heavy and incessant rainfall
12:19 pm: Residents of Multai celebrate as Tapti river overflows after 3 years and enters Tapti temple in Madhya Pradesh
12:08 pm: Residents of Multai celebrate as Tapti river overflows after 3 years and enters Tapti temple in Betul, Madhya Pradesh
11:59 am: Incessant rainfall has led to flooding in parts of Sukma district of Chhattisgarh
11:36 am: More than 90 people were evacuated and sheltered in relief centers due to flooding in Madikeri area following heavy rainfall in Karnataka's Kodagu
11:14 am: Locals dance on waterlogged National Highway (Nippani-Kolhapur Road) in Karnataka's Yamagarni village, Belagavi
11:11 am:
11:01 am: Holiday announced in Karnataka schools and colleges by respective District Administrations in rain-affected districts- Kodagu, Dharwad, Mangaluru, Hassan, Belagavi, Mysore, Karwar and Udupi
10:46 am:
10:14 am: There has been an increase in water level in Mysuru's Kabini Dam with 46,000 cusecs of water. 40,000 cusecs of water released from the dam. Water level in Kabini Dam is currently 2281.5 feet and maximum level is 2284 feet
10:01 am: Tractor swept away in the water while crossing a flooded bridge in Malhargarh area of Mandsaur
09:35 am:
08:54 am: Five teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been airlifted from Punjab for rescue operations in Maharashtra. They will arrive in Pune and then spread to flood-affected areas of Sangli, Kolhapur, and Pune
08:12 am: Track restoration work underway on Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road Ghat section in Mangaluru's Siribagilu area where a landslide occurred due to heavy rains
08:01 am: 2 dead, 3 admitted to hospital after railway parcel service building at Coimbatore railway station collapses due to heavy rain
07:55 am: Road connecting Kashinagar to Kidigan in Gajapati district of Odisha has been flooded, which has affected traffic movement. Around 650 people have been evacuated from Kashinagar block and moved to safe shelters
07:54 am: Villages Majhiguda and Kenduguda of Khairaput area in Odisha have been cut off after a portion of a road was washed away due to incessant rain. 5 people, including 2 pregnant women and 2 children were rescued from the area.
07:50 am: Schools, colleges and Anganwadi in Kodagu district to remain closed today and tomorrow in view of red alert issued by the weather department
07:42 am: Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) issues red alert for Idukki, Malappuram, Kozhikode, while orange alert has been issued for Thrissur, Palakkad, Wayanad, Kannur, Kasargod, for today
07:35 am: Special service train to run between Miraj and Karad in Maharashtra for 3 days beginning today, as road traffic has been disrupted due to heavy rains and waterlogging in Karad, Sangli, Miraj and Pandharpur
Ghat areas of Kolhapur are expected to receive extremely heavy rain on Thursday and "heavy to very heavy rain" the day after. Elsewhere in Maharashtra, there will be a reduction in the rainfall activity on August 10 and on August 11, there will be a significant reduction lasting for at least 3 to 4 days, the IMD said.
Meanwhile, warning of extremely heavy rains has been issued in 5 districts of Chhattisgarh, including Raipur.
The department on Wednesday evening also predicted "heavy rains" in next 24 hours in five districts of Bastar division where incessant rains have sent major rivers into spate, disrupting normal life.
Heavy rainfall is expected at one or two places in Kawardha, Bemetara, Bilaspur, Janjgir-Champa, Rajnandgaon, Kanker and Balod districts, he said.
The incessant rain in Bastar region, particularly in Sukma, Bijapur and Bastar districts, have led to snapping of road links at various places due to overflowing rivers and rivulets, a local official said.
State Disaster Response Force, Home Guards and officials of various departments have been asked to stay alert to tackle rain-related emergencies.
Sixteen deaths in rain and flood-related incidents have been reported from western Maharashtra in the last seven days, while the toll in Karnataka rose to five since Sunday and nearly 26,000 people have been evacuated.
Heavy downpour triggered by a deep depression, which crossed Odisha coast, battered several parts of the state creating a flood-like situation and disrupting train services in some areas in the southern region.
Floodgates were opened in the dams in Maharashtra and barrages and reservoirs in Karnataka, where road and rail links remain hit by incessant monsoon rains.
Meanwhile, the national capital witnessed a humid day on Wednesday, with the mercury settling at 35.5 degrees Celsius. The Safdarjung Observatory, the recording of which is considered official for the city, received 22.2 mm rainfall. The Palam Observatory received 9.6 mm and Lodhi Road received 24.3 mm.
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