India rains: Karnataka announces holiday for schools, colleges today due to heavy downpour; Red alert issued in three districts of Kerala

Southwest Monsoon is in its full fury, causing heavy rainfall in several areas across the country. Parts of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh received heavy rainfall on Thursday. Maharashtra’s Vidharbha region and south-east Rajasthan are likely to get heavy downpours over the next 24 hours. The national capital is to remain dry until 12 August, while isolated thunderstorm activities are likely to occur. Moderate rainfall is to be expected from 13 August in Delhi, according to private weather forecasting agency, Skymet. Gujarat is likely to be one of the worst-hit states as weathermen war of flood-like situation in view of the heavy rainfall prediction for 9 August. The weather agency said that the intensity of these rains is expected to go down from 10 August. Meanwhile, the situation remained grim in flood-hit parts Maharashtra, where 2.5 lakh people have been evacuated so far. In southern India, Kerala and Karnataka have bore the maximum brunt of heavy rainfall. Three districts of Kerala, Idukki, Malappuram and Kozhikode, remain on a red alert on Thursday, while several rivers were in spate in Andhra Pradesh. In Karnataka, a holiday is announced in schools and colleges by respective District Administrations in rain-affected districts of Kodagu, Dharwad, Mangaluru, Hassan, Belagavi, Mysore, Karwar and Udupi on Thursday. Sixteen deaths have been reported in rain and flood-related incidents 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. [caption id=“attachment_7128831” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  NDRF personnel transport residents to safer place due to overflowing Krishna river, in Sangli. PTI[/caption] 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. Maharashtra The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an “extremely heavy rain” warning for Pune, Satara and Kolhapur districts of Western Maharashtra for Thursday. The districts of Kolhapur and Sangli have been battered by rains for the last few days and grappling with floods. However, there was no warning for Sangli district which may get only light-to-moderate rain, the IMD said on Wednesday evening. Nearly 2.5 lakh people have been evacuated in Sangli, Kolhapur and Pune, Divisional Commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar said. He warned people against travelling on the Mumbai-Bengaluru national highway. Teams of the Territorial Army, the Navy and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are conducting rescue operations in Kolhapur and Sangli and six more NDRF teams will be airlifted to Kolhapur by Wednesday evening, he said. “All the dams in the region are overflowing and the Met department has predicted continuous rains for the next three to four days. So if the catchment areas of dams receive more rain, the possibility of more floods cannot be ruled out,” Mhaisekar added. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reviewed the flood situation at a meeting in Mumbai. He told reporters later that the state received 104 pc of average rain during June-August period, most of it in western Maharashtra and Konkan. “342 bridges have gone underwater and are closed for vehicles. Twenty-nine state highways and 56 roads have also been shut. NH 4 and Kolhapur-Ratnagiri highway (part of Mumbai-Goa highway) is closed,” a state official said. Karnataka All schools, colleges and Anganwadi centres in Kodagu district have been closed for two days including Thursday and Friday, as rain continues to wreak havoc in the region. The district administration gave the directions after IMD issued a ‘Red Alert’ in Kodagu for the next 48 hours.

Kanataka: Holiday announced in schools & colleges by respective District Administrations in rain-affected districts- Kodagu, Dharwad, Mangaluru, Hassan, Belagavi, Mysore, Karwar and Udupi pic.twitter.com/1c05qWKYMg

— ANI (@ANI) August 8, 2019

Continuous rain has brought life to a standstill in the region. On Monday, the Virajpet-Kerala road was closed after being hit by landslides triggered by heavy rains in the district. The situation may further worsen as the weather forecasting agency has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall for the rest of the week for Kodagu district Kerala As heavy rains pounded several parts of Kerala, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a Red Alert in Idukki, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts on Thursday. “These districts are likely to get extremely heavy rainfall of over 240 mm in 24 hours and may experience landslides,” an IMD release said. A woman died in Malappuram District when a tree got uprooted and fell over her house, the District Management Authority told PTI. Palakkad District also received heavy rains on Wednesday. The IMD had declared an Orange alert in various districts from 6 to 9 August, including in Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kasargod, Alapuzha, Idukki, Ernakulam, Kannur and Thrissur districts.

Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA): Red alert issued for Idukki, Malappuram, Kozhikode, & orange alert issued for Thrissur, Palakkad, Wayanad, Kannur, Kasargod, for today (8th August). pic.twitter.com/useksPxpVr

— ANI (@ANI) August 8, 2019

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Heavy crop damage was also reported from various parts of the district. The Makkootam ghat road in Kannur was also damaged in the heavy rains. Goa Heavy rains lashed several parts of Goa, including the state capital of Panaji, on Thursday morning. The IMD office in Panaji on Wednesday had predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in the coastal state for next couple of days. Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said that the state government is on “high alert” and “Heavy rains are likely to continue for another two to three days, so we appeal to people to avoid venturing into the sea. A high alert has been sounded along the coast and people, including tourists and fishermen, have been asked to stay away from the waters.” He also said that several villages in Bardez, Pernem and Bicholim talukas of North Goa district were flooded after water was released from Tillari dam following heavy showers in its catchment areas. The dam is located in North Goa along the state’s border with Maharashtra. “Sal village in Bicholim taluka was the worst affected as several houses were inundated there. The villagers have been shifted to safer places by the disaster management department team,” Sawant said. The water resources department’s chief engineer was in touch with officials guarding the Tillari dam to get all necessary information about the release of water from it, he added. Andhra Pradesh Heavy rains in Andhra Pradesh resulted in an increase in water levels in major rivers of the state on Wednesday, with the threat of flood looming in Vamsadhara river in far-off Srikakulam district. The water level at Gotta Barrage on Vamsadhara touched 91,054 cusecs on Wednesday evening, prompting authorities to issue a second warning signal. Water flow at Gotta Barrage on Wednesday morning touched 67,000 cusecs and outflow was 75,000 cusecs. The irrigation officials have lifted 22 gates to the level of 1.5 meters and released the water. New Delhi Meanwhile, the national capital witnessed a humid day, with the mercury settling at 35.5 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature is expected on Thursday is around 36 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature recorded on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday was 27.5 degrees Celsius, one degree above normal. According to Skymet, the national capital is to remain dry until 12 August, while isolated thunderstorm activities are likely to occur. Moderate rainfall is to be expected from 13 August in Delhi. 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. There was no rainfall recorded in the last 24 hours. Uttar Pradesh In neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, three people died in lightning strike in Hardoi, while one person died in Gorakhpur, a state government’s spokesperson said. Four people lost their lives in incessant rains in Greater Noida, while one person each died in Bulandshahr and Kanpur, he said. One person each died due to snakebite in Hardoi, Raebareli, Ghazipur and Bulandshahr, he said. Lucknow recorded 32.6 mm rainfall and the maximum temperature in the city settled at 34.3 degrees Celsius. Himachal Pradesh Most parts of Himachal Pradesh received light to heavy rainfall, with Una recording the maximum at 109 mm on Wednesday. Sarkaghat recorded rainfall at 92 mm, followed by Dehra Gopipur 72 mm, Dharamshala 68 mm and Bakloh 66 mm and Shimla 54.9 mm, it said. Heavy rainfall was also recorded at isolated places in Mandi, Chamba and Kangra districts, the Met department said. Rajasthan In Rajasthan, parts of Kota and Bundi districts received moderate to heavy rains since Tuesday morning, leading to flooding of most rivers and other water bodies in the region. A man was swept away in Bundi district, Namana police station in-charge Namana Koshaliya said. Bairwa and his brother-in-law Devi Lal were returning to their village on a motorcycle when the incident occurred. While Lal managed to save himself by holding to a tree branch, Bairwa was swept away. The 50-year-old’s body and his motorcycle were found in the morning, the officer said. Another bike was also found near the reservoir and it emerged that two other persons were also swept away by the water flow on Tuesday night but managed to escape, Koshaliya said. In another incident, a seven-year-old boy fell into an overflowing small stream in Kotari area of Kota city on Tuesday night while playing outside his house, the police said. Odisha At least three wagons of a goods train derailed in Odisha’s Ambadola station. Several trains in the Rayagada-Titlagarh section were cancelled or diverted due to heavy waterlogging and washing away of the ballast of 100 metres of tracks, a railway official said. Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) B P Sethi said torrential rainfall submerged vast areas in Malkangiri, Rayagada, Koraput, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Gajapati and Ganjam districts of Odisha. The six districts have received more than 100 mm of average rainfall since Tuesday, the SRC said, adding that Kandhamal recorded average rainfall of 183.3 mm, while Rayagada got 163.4 mm, Malkangiri 129.3 mm, Koraput 113.9 mm, Kalahandi 109.4 mm and Ganjam received 104.6 mm rainfall. Chhattisgarh IMD has issued a warning of “very heavy rainfall” at few places in five 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. With inputs from agencies