BARSAAT (MONSOON)

FACED PANDEMIC & NOW

DISASTER OF A MONSOON
The IMD on Friday [23 July, 2021] issued a red alert for 6 districts of Maharashtra
forecasting “extremely heavy” rainfall and recommending preventive actions.
The alert was issued for the districts of
Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg in coastal Konkan and also for
Pune, Satara and Kolhapur in Western Maharashtra.
Extremely heavy rainfall is “very likely” at isolated places in ghat (hilly/upland) areas, an
IMD official said. A rainfall above 204.4 mm in 24 hours is considered as extremely
heavy. IMD late (on 24 July,) Saturday predicted that rainfall activity is expected to
decrease over the west coast soon. The development comes amid torrential downpours,
widespread floods, and landslides raging havoc in the state, with hundreds dead so far and
scores of people still missing.
Heavy Rainfall in Konkan, Goa, Central Maharashtra
The IMD on Friday [23 July, 2021] said isolated extremely heavy falls are
very likely over Konkan, Goa and central Maharashtra in the next two days.
Scattered to fairly widespread rainfall with isolated heavy falls are likely to
continue over Gujarat till July 23, but its intensity will increase from July 24,
it said. “Fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very
heavy falls very likely to continue over west coast during next 2-3 days with
reduction thereafter,” the IMD said. The IMD, however, predicted rainfall
activity to increase from Sunday in several other states in the north Indian
plains, including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh.
“Isolated extremely heavy falls also very likely over Konkan, Goa, the adjoining ghat areas
of central Maharashtra during July 23-24 with reduction thereafter and over coastal and
south interior Karnataka, from July 23,” it said.
Gujarat: The IMD said scattered to fairly widespread rainfall with isolated heavy falls are
likely to continue over Gujarat till July 23, with an increase in intensity from July 24. “It is
likely to increase to fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very
heavy falls on July 24-26. Isolated extremely heavy falls also likely over Gujarat region July
25,” the IMD added.
Madhya Pradesh: an orange alert for 24 Madhya Pradesh districts, predicting heavy
rainfall in isolated places over Jabalpur, Rewa, Satna, Anuppur, Umarai, Dindori, Katni,
Narsinghpur, Mandla, Sagar, Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh, Vidisha and Sehore, Rajgarh, Betul,
Burhanpur, Khandwa, Khargone, Dhar, Dewas, Agar Malwa, Ashok Nagar, and Shivpuri.
MP, Telangana, Odisha: It said fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with
isolated heavy to very heavy falls are likely to continue over east and
adjoining central India during July 23-25 with reduction thereafter. Isolated
extremely heavy falls also likely over west Madhya Pradesh on July 23 and
July 24 and east Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha on July 23, the
IMD added.
Uttar Pradesh: Uttar Pradesh is likely to receive heavy downpour on Sunday
at isolated areas in the western parts, the IMD said. The state witnessed
light to moderate rainfall and thunderstorm on Saturday, with heavy
downpours at isolated places in the eastern part of the state.
Over 100 people were moved to safety in Sangli overnight after the Krishna
river breached danger level, while helicopter rescue has begun in Mahad.
Telangana and Karnataka too are on high alert.
Three more teams of NDRF reached Chiplun, while four teams are already
engaged in rescuing people as incessant showers in the hilly regions of
Ratnagiri district wreaked havoc in the coastal town, along with illegal
constructions near the Vashisthi river bed and discharge of water from the
Kolkewadi dam. The district administration has issued a list of people, who are
stuck in the flood. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to CM Uddhav
Thackeray on Thursday and assured all possible help.
Telangana C M has also put the entire administration on high alert after
heavy rains and huge inflows from upstream Maharashtra and Karnataka
began flooding large swathes of the state. “More care should be taken on
Godavari and Krishna rivers catchment areas,” the CM told the roads and
buildings (R&B) department to assess the flood situation and examine the
condition of roads and bridges. Bhimashankar, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, has
been submerged in water as flood water surrounded the historic temple.
On the other hand, over 100 people were moved to safety in Sangli overnight
after Krishna river water was rising.
Pune: People on board a bus had a narrow escape as they were rescued just
before the vehicle got washed away into a river in Kolhapur district.
“More care should be taken on Godavari and Krishna rivers catchment areas,”
the CM told the roads and buildings (R&B) department to assess the flood
situation and examine the conditions. Bhimashankar, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas,
has been submerged in water as flood water surrounded the historic temple.
Due to the water flowing with strong force, the bus fell off the bridge and got
stuck in water and swept away by the strong currents, he said. Kolhapur district
guardian minister Satej Patil said instructions have been given to file an offense
against the bus driver.
On the other hand, over 100 people were moved to safety in Sangli overnight
after Krishna river police said.
The incident occurred around 2.30 am at Pangire village in Bhudargad tehsil
when the bus driver, despite being asked by the police and the PWD
personnel not to go ahead, drove the vehicle over a bridge even as the water
of the Chikodi river was flowing above it, they said.
"The PWD officials had intercepted the Nashik-bound bus before the bridge.
However, its driver did not listen to them and went ahead on the bridge. But
the police staff ran towards the bus and evacuated all the 11 people on board,"
an official said.
As heavy rains batter several parts of west and south India, the meteorological department on
Friday said isolated extremely heavy falls are very likely over Konkan, Goa and central
Maharashtra in the next two days. Scattered to fairly widespread rainfall with isolated heavy falls
are likely to continue over Gujarat till July 23, but its intensity will increase from July 24, it said.
Rains LIVE: July, 24- 2021 Mumbai, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Satara. At least 129 people have died in
various rain-related incidents, including multiple landslides and flooding, in Maharashtra in the
past two days. The deceased included 38 people who died in a landslide in a village in the
coastal Raigad district's Mahad tehsil on Thursday, a senior official informed. Over 84,000 people
under the Pune division were shifted to safer places yesterday as heavy rains continued to
wreak havoc in the state. No immediate relief appears in sight.
The IMD has issued a red alert for six districts that have been pounded by downpour,
forecasting "extremely heavy" rainfall and recommending preventive actions. The alert has been
issued for Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg in coastal Konkan and also for Pune, Satara and
Kolhapur in Western Maharashtra. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has
expressed grief over the incident and announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the kin of each
deceased person and free treatment for all the injured persons.
Intense rainfall coupled with excess rainwater from Mahabaleshwar draining
into river Savitri and causing it to overflow.. It triggered disaster at Mahad in
Raigad, with the city and surrounding villages under water, two landslides in
the district in which more than 40 people are dead, rescue operations
hampered by the floodwaters and disruption in telecom services and power
supply.
Taliye in Mahad taluka, where a huge landslide occurred on 22 July,
Thursday evening, is a village of 240 people, located 22 km from Mahad city.
Around 35 houses were buried under the debris of a hillock that came
crashing down on the houses. Officials said over a 100 people escaped the
landslide as they were out for work. Around 85 people were hit by the
landslide. A rescue team of National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF) pulled
out 33 bodies on Friday morning. Some 50 people are still missing and
feared trapped under the debris. “Thirty-three bodies have been recovered
from the debris of Taliye village and the rescue operation on,” said Raigad
Collector Nidhi Chowdhury.
In another landslide in neighbouring Poladpur taluka, 10 people died and six
others were seriously injured. The landslide took place at Sutarwadi in Govele
gram panchayat area around 10 pm on Thursday.
Rescuers had found the bodies of 10 people in the debris by Friday evening.
Thirteen others were moved to Poladpur rural hospital for treatment.
A clearer picture about casualites, health emergencies and other mishaps,
damage to property and vehicles as well as livestock and animals at both the
landslide sites would be clear only after a day or two, officials said. With
phones and power supply down, those with family members, relatives and
friends at the two landslide sites have been unable to reach them.
Over a 1,000 people have been evacuated by the district administration from
Mahad taluka, including Mahad city.
With the entire Mahad city under water, power sub-stations have been
damaged and there has been no electricity since Thursday [22/7] night.
With no electricity, people, including government officials, have no access to
electricity even to charge their phones.
The police are using wireless devices to communicate with the people.
Mahad city may not have electricity supply even on Saturday. Two 220 KV
towers between Kandalgaon and Mahad have collapsed, disrupting power
supply. Mahad and Poladpur talukas were in darkness Friday night.
Rescue efforts were being hampered by landslides blocking roads,
including the main highway between Mumbai and Goa.
Water levels rose to 3.5 metres (12 feet) in areas of Chiplun, a city 250
kilometres (160 miles) from Mumbai, following 24 hours of uninterrupted rain
that caused the Vashishti river to overflow, submerging roads and homes.

The Indian Navy deployed seven rescue teams equipped with rubber boats, life
jackets and lifebuoys to the affected areas, along with a helicopter to airlift
marooned residents. Specialist Navy divers accompanied each team.

India's meteorological department has issued red alerts for several regions in
the state, indicating that heavy rainfall will continue for the next few days.
Flooding and landslides are common during India's treacherous monsoon
season between June and September, while also causing poorly constructed
buildings and walls to collapse.
At least 34 people were killed after several homes were crushed by a
collapsed wall and a landslide triggered in Mumbai, capital on Maharashtra,
last weekend. Rainwater also inundated a water purification complex,
disrupting supply "in most of the parts of Mumbai", a megacity of 20 million
people, civic authorities said. Last month, 12 people were killed when a
building collapsed in a Mumbai slum. 39 people died when a three- storey
apartment block collapsed in Bhiwandi near the financial capital.
Thousands Of Houses Damaged As Goa Reels Under Heavy Rain, Worst Flooding In Decades

One person has been killed and around 1,000 houses were damaged and
hundreds of people were evacuated from low-lying parts of Goa were
inundated due to heavy rains and overflowing of rivers. The state on
Friday witnessed one of the worst floods in nearly 40 years. Sattari,
Bicholim, Ponda, Dharbandora, Bardez and Pernem are among the worst
hit by the deluge, which has also damaged property worth crores.
Worst floods since 1982
“This is one of the worst floods since 1982. Properties worth crores of
rupees have been damaged,” Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said.
In Pernem taluka (North Goa), the Chapora river was flowing above the
danger mark due to which water had entered low-lying areas damaging 88
houses, while eight persons were evacuated.
The Chapora river also caused devastation in Bardez taluka where 167
homes were damaged and nine people evacuated.
In Bicholim taluka, Valvanti and Chapora rivers were overflowing due to
which 164 houses were damaged, while 40 people were rescued.
Sattari was one of the worst-hit talukas where 130 houses were damaged
while 65 people had to be rescued as Valvanti and Mahadayi rivers crossed
their danger levels.
In Ponda taluka, several people in Waghurme village were stranded in their
submerged homes and attempts were on to rescue them.
The coastal state has been experiencing heavy rains over the past few days.
On Thursday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a
warning that a circulation in the Bay of Bengal is likely to trigger low-pressure
area that will cause more rainfall in Goa.
At least forty-seven people have died in flood and landslide incidents in
various areas of Maharashtra. As rescue operations remain ongoing, the IMD
on Friday [23 July, 2021] also issued a red alert for six districts of the state.
Germany: Bad Muenstereifel's transformation from a picturesque but sleepy German tourist
town into an outlet shopping centre put it on the map for millions of visitors. Then floods laid
waste to its medieval streets and half-timbered buildings, highlighting the vulnerability of
Europe's top economy to an increasingly unpredictable climate. Beyond the town, the
flooding stretched from an area close to the western city of Cologne down to southern
Bavaria, hitting the historic centres of Aachen and Trier and leaving a trail of destruction
behind it. In recent years, other heavy floods have hit other parts of Germany, overflowing
the banks of the waterways that have played such a key role in its prosperity. Those floods
have caused tens of billions of euros of damage - a much bigger economic hit than any of
Germany's neighbours have suffered from inundations, according to a study by Swiss Re,
which insures insurers.
 Death Toll in Central China Floods Rises to 51, Losses Mount to USD 10 Billion

The death toll caused by downpours and floods has increased to 51 in the Henan provincial
capital of Zhengzhou. The direct economic losses have gone up to 65.5 billion yuan (USD 10
billion).
China: As Zhengzhou city of 12 million people limped back to normalcy,
rescuers are assisting thousands of people caught in the floodwaters. On
Thursday, officials raced to evacuate patients as hospitals were flooded by
rainstorms.
The patients were shifted to hospitals that escaped the flood fury.
Zhengzhou, meanwhile, downgraded its emergency response level as it
continued to clean up after this week's devastating floods, but other parts of
Henan province were bracing for more heavy rainfall, the Hong Kong-
based South China Morning Post reported. Zhengzhou was hit by several
days of heavy rainfall, causing floods of an intensity not seen in decades.
Evacuation: New Delhi: As many as 112 people lost their lives, 99 still
missing due to incessant rainfall in Maharashtra till Saturday (July 24, 2021)
night, said the Relief and Rehabilitation Department.
The heavy downpour has forced about 1.35 lakh people to evacuate from the
flood-affected areas, according to the state government's data.
"As per the data of July 24 at 9.30 pm, about 1 lakh 35 thousand people
have been evacuated from the flood-affected areas.
A total of 112 deaths have been reported and 3221 animals have died. A
total of 53 people were injured and 99 are missing," said Relief and
Rehabilitation Department.
Floodwater has entered the roads and fields, submerging many areas of the Sangli district
in Maharashtra. The locals of the area have been alerting the passersby of the rising
water levels. "Situation is not okay. Water is receding towards Samdoli now. Many cars
are also stuck here," said a local, Sumit. "We are sitting here to ensure that floodwater
doesn`t enter Samdoli. If water goes beyond here, our daily route will be shut," another
villager, Pramod was quoted by ANI as saying.
The Army under Operation Varsha has mobilised columns for flood relief in
Maharashtra and has taken over 100 people to safe locations. A total of 15
flood relief teams from Aundh Military Station and Bombay Engineering
Group, Pune have been deployed for flood relief and rescue operations in
Sangli, Palus, Burli, and Chiplun, as per a press release issued by the Army.

The army is also providing cooked meals and drinking water in tankers to the
locals and set up medical camps wherein medical teams of Army Doctors
and Nursing Assistants have been deployed to provide necessary first aid
and medicines to locals being evacuated from flood-affected areas.
 Parked car submerges in swollen river at Shaniwar Peth in Pune
Parked car submerged into swollen Mutha river at Shaniwar Peth in Pune.
After heavy rains in the catchment area, the Khadakwasla dam discharges
16,247 cusecs of water into Mutha River. The release was maintained at the
rate of 1,000 cusecs in the morning and was gradually increased up to 11,704
cusecs by afternoon and 16,247 by late evening. An alert has been issued by
the Pune Municipal Corporation for people living in the low lying areas. An
irrigation department official said water would be released from the
Khadakwasla dam on Friday as well if the catchment continued to receive
heavy spells of rain.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely at isolated places over Himachal Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, east Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and
Meghalaya on July 26, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
It has also predicted heavy rainfall at isolated places over
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim,
Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Gujarat,
central Maharashtra, Konkan, Goa, coastal Karnataka,
Kerala and Mahe for July 26. Thunderstorm, accompanied
with lightning, is very likely at isolated places over Bihar, West
Bengal, Sikkim, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam,
Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Tamil
Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal, the IMD said in a release.
Warning of an increase in rainfall activity over Western
Himalayan Region and adjoining plains of northwest India from
July 26, the IMD said that fairly widespread to widespread
rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy falls is likely over
Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh during July 26 and 29,
over Uttarakhand during July 25 and 29 and over Jammu &
Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan & Muzaffarabad, Punjab, and
Haryana from July 27 till 29.
 Maharashtra rain toll reaches 149, at least 100 still missing

WITH THE Maharashtra government pegging the death toll due to heavy rains

in the Konkan region and western parts of the state at 149, including 37 deaths

recorded on Sunday, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that a relief

package will be announced soon — and a separate force on the lines of the

NDRF will be set up in vulnerable districts to ensure a quicker response during

natural disasters.
Maharashtra Flood Updates: Kolhapur Cut Off, NH4 Shut; CM Uddhav in
Satara, Dy CM Ajit in Sangli Today [26/7]

Maharashtra Floods Updates: Water levels in western Maharashtra’s

flood affected districts continue to be above danger mark, even as
rains have reduced. NH4, which links the four big cities in India –
Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Chennai – remains closed as several
heavy vehicles are stranded on the highway.
An official said that Kolhapur has turned into an island, and has been cut
off from the rest of the state as all roads approaching the city are under
water. Rescue and relief operations are still underway. As many as 2.3
lakh people have been evacuated so far. Chief minister Uddhav
Thackeray is said to visit the flood-affected areas of Pune and Satara on
Monday, while Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar will visit Sangli. A day
ago, CM Thackeray had visited Chiplun, the site of severe flooding, and
interacted with residents, businessmen and shopkeepers. He promised
them all help from the state government to restore normalcy in the area.
Before that, the chief minister had also visited Mahad.
A statement from the state secretariat control room said that death toll in
various rain-related incidents, including floods and landslides, in
Maharashtra rose to 149 on Sunday with 36 more bodies being found in
Satara and Raigad districts as rescue operations gathered pace, while 64
people remain missing. A break-up of the figures showed 28 more deaths
being reported from the Satara district in western Maharashtra and eight
from the Raigad district in the coastal region. The government said 60
deaths were so far reported in Raigad, 21 in Ratnagiri, 41 in Satara, 12 in
Thane, seven in Kolhapur, four in suburban Mumbai, and two each in
Sindhudurg and Pune.
A total of 875 villages in Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara and Pune were affected by
the torrential rains, it said. “Five relief camps have been set up in flood-hit
Chiplun city in Ratnagiri district. 25 teams of the NDRF, four teams of the
SDRF, two teams of the Coast Guard, five teams of the Navy and three
teams of the Army are conducting the relief and rescue operations,” the
statement said. As the bridge over the Vashishthi river connecting Chiplun to
Mumbai has collapsed, the road remains shut for the traffic. The state
government has provided a emergency financial aid to Raigad and Ratnagiri
districts. Satara, Sangli, Pune, Kolhapur, Thane and Sindhudurg, also
affected by rains.
The reduced downpour will help the rain-battered state to carry out relief
operations, crippled last week due to continuous record-breaking rainfall.
At least 153 people lost their lives, 64 have been missing and 230,000
people have been displaced in the worst floods Maharashtra has seen in
decades. Pummeled by the rains, key state and national highways in
Maharashtra remain disconnected from the rest of the country for four
consecutive days. The Mumbai-Bengaluru highway, partly submerged
near Kolhapur, continued to be shut for vehicular traffic for the third day on
Sunday [25/7]. Kolhapur-Pune, Mumbai-Goa, Kolhapur-Ratnagiri were
shut till evening in patches in Ratnagiri, Kolhapur and Sindhudurg.
Nearly 2,000 Karnataka-bound vehicles, including trucks, are stranded on
the national highway, the district police told PTI. The highway was shut for
traffic since Friday after a part of was submerged due to rising water levels
amid incessant rain in the district.
Troops of the Indian Army have intensified relief and rescue operations in
Sangli, Kohlapur and Ratnagiri districts. More than 80 stranded locals from
the flood-affected areas of Bastwad in Kolhapur were rescued on Sunday, a
defence release said. The army also set up a Central War Room for
coordination between the three services for ongoing flood relief operations
in Maharashtra.
At least 34 self-contained National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
teams, deployed to carry out relief operations in the flood-hit state,
evacuated 500 stranded persons and rescued 44 people from the affected
areas on Sunday.
The situation in Maharashtra worsened after torrential downpour over
Thursday and Friday triggered the worst floods and landslides in decades
in Raigad, Ratnagiri, Palghar, Thane, Sindhudurg, Kolhapur, Sangli and
Satara districts. In Sangli, 196,957 people have been evacuated, while in
Kolhapur, 145,930 have been taken to safe places and temporary shelters.
Rains: Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway Shut for Traffic for 3rd Day; Around 2,000
Karnataka-bound Vehicles Stranded

The Mumbai-Bengaluru highway shut for vehicular traffic for the third day
on Sunday as its stretch near Shiroli village remained submerged. Around
2,000 Karnataka-bound vehicles are stranded on the national highway.
The highway Is shut for traffic after part of it got submerged due to rising
water level as a result of incessant rains in the district. “The stretch near
Shiroli continued to be closed for the vehicular movement near Shiroli
village as the bridge near there remained inundated,” Kolhapur
Superintendent of Police (SP) Shailesh Balkawde said.
Widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy showers is likely over
Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh during July 26-29; over Uttarakhand
during July 26-29; over Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan and
Muzaffarabad, Punjab, and Haryana during July 27-29, the forecast said.A
low pressure area is lying over northwest Madhya Pradesh. The western
end of the monsoon trough at mean sea level is running south of its normal
position while its eastern end is north of the normal position. The trough is
likely to shift northwards and bring rain to the Himalayan foothills.
High tide was witnessed in the Marine Drive area in Mumbai on Sunday

amidst a sunny day. People were seen thronging the area witnessing

high tide from over the bridge. Marine Drive is a 3.6-kilometre-long

Promenade along the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road in Mumbai,

India. Often, the names Marine Drive and Marines are used

interchangeably to refer to this 3.9 km stretch. The road and promenade

were constructed by Pallonji Mistry.

Delhi weather: Moderate rainfall, cloudy skies likely today, says IMD
The minimum temperature on Monday [26/7] is likely to be 29 degrees
Celsius while maximum temperature is predicted to reach 33 degrees
Celsius
 Enhanced rainfall activity with fairly widespread
rainfall and isolated heavy to very heavy falls
likely over Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal,
Jharkhand, and Bihar from July 27, IMD said.
Maharashtra Monsoon
Mayhem. For IMD, heavy rainfall is between 64.5 mm to
115.5 mm, very heavy rain 115.6 mm to 204.4
Floods and Landslides
mm, and extremely heavy rainfall above 204.4
mm.
Maharashtra on Sunday reported 6,843 new coronavirus positive cases and
123 fatalities, raising the overall tally to 62,64,922 and the toll to 1,31,552,
the state health department said. With 5,212 patients being discharged after
treatment during the day, the count of recoveries in Maharashtra went up to
60,35,029 so far, leaving the state with 94,985 active cases, it said.
Maharashtra`s case recovery rate now stands at 96.33 per cent while the
fatality rate is 2.09 per cent. Mumbai reported 364 new cases and 10 deaths,
taking the count of infections to 7,34,118 and the number of Covid-19
fatalities to 15,837.
Mumbai division comprising the city and its satellite towns
reported 1,184 fresh infections and 38 deaths, which raised
the tally to 16,34,633 and the toll to 34,089, as per the
department. Nashik division saw 1,100 new cases including
943 in the Ahmednagar district. Pune division reported 2,168
infections including 665 in Satara and 657 in the Pune
district.
Pune city added 267 new cases and Pimpri Chinchwad 161, it said.
Kolhapur division saw 1,963 cases during the day including 691 in the
Sangli district. Kolhapur district, which has been recording a spike in
cases for the last few months, added 582 infections.
Aurangabad division reported 56 cases, Latur division 314, Akola division
40, while Nagpur division recorded 18 fresh cases, the department said in
a report. Nagpur reported just two new cases in the day. No Covid-19
fatality was reported in the city. The entire Nagpur division and Akola
division in the Vidarbha region did not report a single death during the day.
Torrential rain continued to cause a flood-like situation across
Karnataka on Saturday [24/7] with the death toll rising to nine.
The continuous rain affected 12 districts of north Karnataka,
coastal Karnataka and the Malnad region. It is estimated that
around 830 houses collapsed, 15 school buildings were
damaged and 8,733 people, including women and children,
have been shifted to safer places across the state.
Even as the torrential rains lashing across Karnataka took a break, the
threat of landslides in Shivamogga, Chikmagalur, Kodagu, Hassan and
Belagavi districts in Karnataka continues to haunt people.
Due to heavy rains for over a week, multiple landslide incidents have been
reported from Thirthahalli and Sagara Taluk of Shivamogga district.
There have been more than 10 incidents of landslides in Bharathipura
region and similar cases are being reported from Huligudda, Yedehalli,
Kolikalugudda and other places in Shivamogga district. The movement of
heavy vehicles was restricted after a huge crack surfaced on the
Mangaluru-Madikeri road following a landslide near the Made village.
There were reports of highways caving in near Nirjii, Vantagoda,
Malingapura near Mudhol taluk in Bagalkot district.
Hassan District Collector R. Girish has issued an order prohibiting
vehicular movement on Bengaluru- Mangaluru national highway - 75
following landslides until further orders. As many as 9,000 people have
been shifted to safer places across the state in the backdrop of damages
caused by heavy rains. Red alert has been issued in 7 districts.
Krishna, Kaveri, Tungabhadra, Hiranyakeshi, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha,
Vedaganga, Doodhganga, Panchaganga rivers have crossed danger
levels.
Maharashtra Monsoon Mayhem:
Water levels in western Maharashtra’s flood-affected districts continue to
be above the danger mark. Drones are helping in monitoring the floods
affected areas, real-time water levels, and damage so that the required
help can be provided. Rescuing people from floods is a daunting task full
of challenges. Days after torrential rain triggered floods and landslides
across several districts in Maharashtra, killing 138 people and leaving
dozens still missing, two national highways remain closed to traffic along
with other key roads making it difficult to evacuate people stranded on the
roofs of their submerged homes.
A massive landslide near Basteri in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh
on Sunday caused heavy boulders to fall on the nearby vehicles including
a tempo traveler, leading to nine tourists being killed and two others being
injured. The landslide, that was triggered by the recent rainfalls, damaged
some vehicles and caused a bridge to collapse. Vehicles that bore the
brunt of the falling boulders have been crushed from multiple angles. Their
roofs and bonnets have been pressed due to the pressure from the
boulders while their glasses have been broken. According to the police, the
nine people were killed after heavy boulders fell on their tempo traveler.
The passengers were on their way to Sangla from Chitkul.