Rain fury sweeps through India
Heavy rainfall across Maharashtra, K’taka and Goa has left at least 60 dead and thousands displaced
PANAJI/BENGALURU/PUNE: At least 60 people were reported dead and thousands displaced due to heavy rains in coastal Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa in the past two days, even as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for the entire western coast over the weekend.
In Maharashtra, which is the worst-hit state along the western coast, 57 people died in various rain-related incidents, including a landslide in Raigad district that claimed 36 lives with the district administration saying almost equal number of people were still feared trapped under the debris. In another landslide incident at Kevanale in Raigad’s Poladpur tehsil, 11 bodies were recovered during multi-agency rescue efforts, said state officials.
According to police, 11 people on board a bus had a narrow escape in Kolhapur district as they were rescued just before the vehicle got washed away in a river.
On Thursday, the IMD warned of “very intense spells of short duration” over parts of western coast. On Friday, the entire western coast from Maharashtra to Kerala received very heavy rainfall with some receiving up to 600mm of rain in four to five hours. Mahabaleshwar, a hill station in Maharashtra’s Satara district, recorded its highest ever rainfall with 600mm in 24 hours. Many regions in Goa and north Karnataka received up to 300 mm.
In Karnataka, Dr Manoj Rajan, commissioner, Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), said parts of Belagavi, Chikkamagaluru, Dharward, Haveri, Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada were the worst-hit regions. The rivers Krishna, Cauvery, Tungabhadra, Bhima, Kapila (Kabini) and others in Malnad and coastal Karnataka were in spate due to heavy rain, he added.
Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa reviewed the flood situation with top officials and directed all district in-charge ministers and MLAS to oversee relief work in their areas.
According to Rajan, 131 villages in 18 taluks were severely affected by floods, affecting 16,213 people. While three people lost their lives, two were missing, he said, adding that 291.03 km of roads were washed away.
In Goa, the overnight heavy rainfall inundated houses, leaving hundreds stranded, snapped communication lines and disrupted rail and road traffic. Chief minister Dr Pramod Sawant inspected the flooded areas, including Bicholim taluka, and directed the officials to provide immediate assistance to people in distress. According to state officials, 23 people at Harvalem in Bicholim were rescued.
A bridge in Paikul Sattari washed away, cutting the village off from the mainstream while at least three incidents of house collapse were reported.
A major accident was averted when the engine and a passenger coach of the Mangalore Jnchhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Express Special were derailed between Dudhsagar-sonaulim section in Goa along the steep slope of the Western Ghats.
“No passenger casualty has been reported. The passengers of the affected coach were shifted to other coaches...,” said the South Western Railway.
Roads connectivity in Goa, north Karnataka and parts of Maharashtra have also been cut off due to landslides.
Meanwhile, release of excess water in dams in Maharashtra and Karnataka has brought some relief in flooding areas. Both Maharashtra and Karnataka governments issued warnings for people living downstream to be cautious of sudden flow of water from the dams. About 2.5 lakh cusec water was released from Almatti dam in Karnataka on Friday afternoon.
In northern India, rains continued in parts of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. Three children drowned in swollen rivers in Kumaon’s Haldwani and Rudrapur, police said. Although no casualty was reported from Himachal, rain-triggered landslides affected traffic, said an official.