102 Dead Due to Incessant Rain in Maharashtra; Red Alert in 8 Gujarat Districts

CM Eknath Shinde said on Friday that efforts are being made to help evacuate people in flood-affected areas.

The death toll in Maharashtra reached 102 on the morning of Friday, 15 July after four more people died in the last 24 hours due to incessant rains. 

(Photo: PTI)

The death toll in Maharashtra reached 102 on Friday, 15 July, after three people died in the last 24 hours due to incessant rains, the State Disaster ManagementAuthority said.

While two people were reported missing, 3,873 people have been evacuated and sent to relief camps.

The authority added that a total of 14 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) units and six State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) units have been deployed in the state, and 7,963 people have been moved into shelters, ANI reported.

Meanwhile, red alerts for heavy rainfall were issued in eight districts in Gujarat, Disaster Management Minister Rajendra Trivedi told news agency ANI. These districts are Surat, Junagadh, Gir, Bhavnagar, Tapi, Dang, Valsad, and Navsari.

Further, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted "heavy to very heavy rainfall" at some places in south Gujarat and Saurashtra in the next 24 hours.

Moreover, Trivedi added that the water level in the Purna river increased due to overflowing water from two dams in Maharashtra. He also said that the national highway towards Mumbai and two locations on the Dang and Kutch national highways have been closed.

“NDRF team working well to rescue people who are stuck in Navsari and Valsad district,” he said.

In Gujarat, at least 69 people have lost their lives to calamitous rains since 1 June. Officials said on Wednesday, 13 July that over 31,000 people had been evacuated so far.

House Collapses in Nagpur, Man Dies

A 45-year-old man was killed and his wife suffered injuries after their house collapsed in Maharashtra's Nagpur following heavy rains, officials said on Friday, 15 July.

The incident happened at Teen Mundi Chowk in New Babulkheda area around 11 pm on Thursday when the victims were asleep, a fire brigade official said.

"The house, an independent structure on the ground, collapsed following heavy rains and the couple got trapped under the debris. Soon after being informed, teams of the fire brigade and Ajni police station rushed to the spot and began the rescue operation," he told news agency PTI.

The victims were rushed to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), where doctors declared the man dead.

Efforts Underway in Maharashtra: CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Friday that efforts are being made to help evacuate people in flood-affected areas and that several district magistrates are “in the field,” news agency ANI reported.

“Efforts are underway to evacuate the people of the flood-affected areas to a safer place,” the CM said.

“All the officers are in touch with me. All DMs are in the field,” Shinde added.

Orange alerts were issued in Palghar district, Pune, and Satara on Friday. Meanwhile, yellow alerts were issued in Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Nashik, Kolhapur, Akola, Amravati, Bhandara, Buldhana, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Nagpur, Wardha, Washim, and Yavatmal.

Flood Alert Issued in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore

Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu has issued a flood alert as water flow in Bhavani, Noyyal, and Amaravathi rivers swelled following incessant South West monsoon rain in the catchments.

Inflow to Pillur reservoir increased to 12,000 cusecs on Thursday, 14 July, and the storage rose to 97.5 feet – just 2.5 feet short of the full reservoir level.

In order to maintain water level at a manageable level, PWD officials released 26,000 cusec of water into Bhavani river. Consequently, a flood alert was issued in Mettupalayam.

Meanwhile, rain fury continued in the Nilgiris with as much as 188.6 mm rainfall being recorded in the past 24 hours.

A total of 10 trees reportedly fell onto the roads due to the rain across the Nilgiris and seven landslips have occurred, leading to traffic coming to a standstill till the roads were cleared.

Since the monsoon hit the Nilgiris, one person has died and six persons had been injured this month. A total of 45 houses were damaged and trees toppling over due to the deluge were reported in 35 locations.

Heavy rain hit Gudalur, Devala, and Upper Gudalur, where more than 160 mm was recorded from Wednesday evening to Thursday morning. Gudalur was the most affected with more than 200 mm rainfall.

Schools in Gudalur, Pandalur, Kundah, and Ooty have declared holidays in light of the flood situation.

Several Heritage Sites in Karnataka Submerged

The Pampa Sagara dam on river Tungabhadra, in North Karnataka, which has a total capacity of holding 101 tmcft of water, has received an inflow of 87,193 cusec of water and around 1,15,344 cusec of water has been released from the dam.

Due to incessant rainfall swelling Tungabhadra river, the water has reached the door of the Kodanda Swamy Temple in Hampi. The water has also submerged the shrine's front yard and the holy bathing area called Chakrathirtha.

Due to the incessant rainfall and excess outflow of water from the Pampa Sagara dam, the historical site of Krishandevaraya's tomb is currently under water.

Godavari Turns Perilous in Telangana's Bhadrachalam

River Godavari peaked to the highest level of 70.30 feet, nearly 20 feet above the danger mark of 53 feet, at Telangana's Bhadrachalam on Friday evening at 5 pm.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has directed Army officials to provide assistance in the flood-affected Bhadradri district.

A total of 68 men from the Infantry, 10 medical professionals, and 23 engineers have left for relief and rescue operations in the district.

The government has also deputed N Sridhar, the MD of Singareni Colleries, as special officer to monitor the relief operations in the district. The infrastructure available with the Singareni Colleries will be pressed into service at Bhadrachalam for relief operations.

(With inputs from ANI.)