Chennai: Heavy and above average rainfall can be expected in Chennai and neighbouring Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur districts, while heavy rains are expected to lash several districts in the State for the next 48 hours, according to inputs from the weather office.
With the city receiving 22 per cent surplus rainfall so far, temperatures are set to cool down as well, reports add.
Meanwhile, tourist destination Avalanche yesterday received a record smashing 91 cm rainfall, while the whole Nilgiris and Coimbatore districts were battered with heavy rains. The Forest Department has banned tourists from visiting the place for now. Schools and colleges have been shut in Nilgiris and also in Coimbatore today.
Four people have been feared dead in Nilgiris so far due to rains. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has sent a team to Gudalur as the town has seen maximum damage. Minister for Disaster Management, RB Udhayakumar is currently present in the district to oversee measures. According to officials, over 100 individuals are in camps in Gudalur. Over 1,000 acres of crops are damaged.
The district administration is taking necessary efforts and has equipment and machinery including fire service and earthmovers at its disposal.
Reports state that the Bhavanisagar reservoir, known to be the lifeline of Erode district, is fast approaching its full capacity level. Flood warning has been issued to the people living near the banks.
So far, at least 20 people have died in rain-related incidents over the past few days in parts of South India. Three of them were reported in Tamilnadu while eight deaths were reported from Kerala.
A massive landslip has been reported from Meppadi in the hilly Wayanad district in Kerala, where a temple, church, couple of houses and few vehicles have come under soil and several people feared missing.
A ‘red alert’ has been sounded in Idukki, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad, IMD sources said, reported the PTI. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who chaired an emergency meeting on Thursday to take stock of the situation, said the State should be prepared for more downpour. The Cochin International Airport has suspended its operations as a precautionary measure.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy conducted an aerial survey of the flood-hit Polavaram and Devipatnam regions in East and West Godavari districts, even as the water level at Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage at Dowaleswaram crossed the second danger mark.
Heavy downpour in upper catchment area in Odisha resulted in copious inflows into Vamsadhara and Nagavali rivers, the State Disaster Management Authority said. NDRF and SDRF teams, besides Fire and Rescue Services Personnel, have been deployed in Srikakulam district for rescue and relief operation in view of the flood situation.
In Karnataka, about 44,000 people have been evacuated from flood-hit and rain-hit areas of the State, so far. Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, camping in Belagavi supervising relief and rescue operations, appealed to people to donate generously saying that at least Rs 5,000 crore would be required for relief and rehabilitation.
The Belagavi district administration has declared holiday for schools and colleges till August 10.
The Chief Minister’s office has directed district Collectors to evacuate people from danger-prone areas. The Army has swung into action for relief and rescue operations in Wayanad and Coorg, a defence release said.
Road transport and train services were disrupted across Kerala, railway sources said. According to disaster management authority sources, three people from Idukki, one each in Kannur, Palakkad and Thrissur and two in Wayanad died in rain related incidents Thursday.
| Rahul Gandhi dials Modi |
| Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the flood situation in Kerala and sought assistance for those affected in the State, including in his constituency Wayanad. Rahul called Modi and asked for relief and assistance to those affected. ‘Spoke to the Prime Minister seeking all possible assistance for the people severely affected by the floods and landslides in the State, especially in Wayanad. The PM has assured to provide any assistance required to mitigate the effects of the disaster,’ he tweeted from his Wayanad MP twitter handle. |