Various states in the country are faced with a deluge-like situation due to heavy rainfall and this includes southern states of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, Gujarat along the western belt. Torrential rains have claimed 42 lives in Kerala, 29 in Maharashtra, 24 people have died in Karnataka whereas 19 have lost their lives in Gujarat since Friday evening due to rain-related incidents, PTI reported. Here are the top 10 developments from across the four states: > Indian Army, Navy and Air Force intensified their rescue operations in all the states. As per ANI, as of today, a total of nine relief teams, 12 Engineer teams are engaged in providing assistance to the flood-affected areas in Maharashtra alone. Rescue operations have also been undertaken by the National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF) to move stranded people to safer locations. > In Kerala, over 1.25 lakh people have been displaced, which includes at least 25,000 people each in the severely affected areas of Wayanad and Kozhikode. The state has witnessed 80 landslides in eight districts since August 8, officials were quoted as saying by PTI. While water in several areas has started receding, a red alert was sounded in eight districts- Ernakulam, Idukki, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, Kasaragod today. > Operations at Cochin airport will resume at 12 pm tomorrow, earlier than it was scheduled. Rahul Gandhi will be visiting his Lok Sabha constituency, Wayanad tomorrow to review the flood situation there. One of the four shutters of the Banasura Sagar dam was opened at 3 pm today to discharge excess water. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Twitter cautioned people about the same and requested people on the banks of Kabini river to move to safer areas and "not panic". > Meanwhile, in Karnataka, 24 people have died so far in rain-related incidents in the state. Besides Belagavi which is the worst-hit, other affected districts are Bagalkote, Vijayapura, Raichur, Yadgir, Gadag, Uttara Kannada, Haveri, Hubballi-Dharwad, Dakshina Kannada, Chikkamagaluru, and Kodagu. The backwaters of Tungabhadra flooded parts of Davangare districts leading to waterlogged roads. > The entire Pane Mangaluru village in Dakshina Kannada district was inundated by the swollen Netravati river, officials told PTI. Home Minister Amit Shah instructed Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to take care of the flood situation in the state and give priority to cabinet induction later. The CM assured people to not worry as relief measures were his government's top priority. > In Maharashtra's Western belt, heavy rainfall had inundated Sangli and Kolhapur districts. The flood situation, however, showed signs of improvement today as water started to recede from these areas, officials said. A total of 26 teams with 110 personnel and 26 boats were deployed in both these areas and will continue to remain stationed there until the flood situation improves, a defence statement said. After three bodies were recovered today near Brahmanal village from a boat which capsized on Thursday in the Palus tehsil of Sangli district during flood operations, the total death toll touched 29 in Maharashtra. > Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had chaired a flood-review meeting amid his Mahajanadesh yatra on Wednesday. Subsequently, on Thursday, he conducted an aerial survey and urged Opposition parties today to not politicise the flood situation in the state, warning that people would not forgive them. He asserted that Karnataka was fully cooperating with Maharashtra in discharging water from Almatti dam to tackle flooding in both the districts. Today, additional 15 teams of the Navy team were deployed to Kolhapur from Vishakhapatnam to assist in the rescue operations, a defence spokesperson told PTI. > In Gujarat, the death toll rose to 19 in due to rain-related mishaps on Friday night and Saturday which was caused majorly due to incidents of wall/building collapse. Saurashtra and central Gujarat were the severely affected regions in the state. As of Saturday morning, Gujarat had received 77.80 per cent of annual average rainfall, as per MET department data. > With every tehsil in the state receiving good showers and water stock in dams at 60 per cent, there is no longer drought anywhere, chief minister Vijay Rupani said after holding a review meeting in Rajkot. Rajkot district was put on alert and two teams each of the Army and NDRF were put on stand-by as water was released from dams in the district due to heavy rains in catchment areas, officials told PTI. During a press meet, Rupani said, "Sardar Sarovar dam on the Narmada is overflowing (since Friday). Another big dam in South Gujarat, Ukai in Surat district is also on the verge of overflowing." > In Tamil Nadu's Nilgiri district, a flood alert was issued in five villages following the discharge of surplus water from Pykara dam, which reached its full capacity of 96 feet due to incessant rains over the last one week. The Indian Air Force rescued 11 people, including two infants from rain-battered Avalanchi and shifted them to Coimbatore for medical help. Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said about 5,500 people in Nilgiris have been moved to relief camps, while 15,000 others have moved out and are staying with their relatives elsewhere
