Monsoon floods devastate Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat; heavy rain alert in Goa

Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless as monsoon floods wreak havoc in the Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka and Gujarat. In Kerala, over 340 people have lost their lives due to the devastating flood, in what locals say is the worst in the state history since 1924. Almost all the villages in God’s Own Country have submerged in flood waters. Several teams of Armed forces with the help of National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) personnel have evacuated thousands to relief camps and are continuing with the rescue operations to save people stranded in rising flood waters.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the state on Saturday and chaired an emergency meeting with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. He also conducted an aerial survey of flood-ravaged areas. The Kerala government estimated a loss of Rs 25,000 crore due to the floods and sought an immediate relief of Rs 2,500 crore from the Centre. Modi, however, announced an emergency aid of just Rs 500 crore.

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Kerala has been receiving torrential rains since August 8, though, the monsoon hit the state in May. But most of the deaths were said to have taken place in the last two days. Vijayan said that the flooding was the worst the state has seen in 100 years. He tweeted that over 3,14,000 people were now living in 2,000 emergency relief camps set up at the higher grounds in the area.

Over 11,000 houses damaged in Karnataka

In another southern state of Karnataka, flood triggered by torrential rains have damaged over 11,000 houses. At least six people have died so far in the worst-hit Kodagu district. Five out of 30 Karnataka districts - Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, and Shivamogga have been kept on high alert.

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Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy chaired a high-level meeting with local authorities and conducted an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas. He directed officials to list out the roads damaged due to the floods and start repair work as soon as possible. Several district officials have also been shifted to Kodagu.

Kumaraswamy has also announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the people whose house have been damaged due to the flood. Several teams of NDRF were carrying out relief and rescue operations. People evacuated from the flood-hit areas were being shifted to 18 relief camps set up in the plains.

Heavy rains cause flood-like situation in parts of Gujarat

Incessant rains have triggered flood-like situation in Panchmahals, Kheda, Anand and Ahmedabad, Mehsana Aravalli and Sabarkantha districts of central and northern Gujarat.

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In Godhra, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team rescued 12 people stranded in the middle of a river.
Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to very heavy rains for the next three days in the state due to a well-marked low-pressure area lying over the state.

Heavy rains alert in Goa

Private weather forecast agency Skymet has predicted heavy to very heavy rains in Goa over the next 24 hours due to active monsoon conditions. The agency forecast that vigorous monsoon conditions will prevail over coastal area of Karnataka, Konkan and Goa in the next few days.