Flood Fury Continues In Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka & Gujarat; 83 NDRF Teams Dispatched For Relief Works

The situation prompted the government to send as many as 83 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams to the four flood-hit states for rescue and relief operations, the Home Ministry said on Friday.

Sangli: Army personnel shift residents to a safer place from flood-hit area after Krishna river water level rose due to incessant monsoon rainfall, in Sangli, Friday, Aug 9, 2019. (PTI Photo) (PTI8_9_2019_000203B)

New Delhi: Flood fury continues in the states of Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, and Gujarat, as heavy rains continue to batter parts of the states. The situation prompted the government to send as many as 83 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams to the four flood-hit states for rescue and relief operations, the Home Ministry said on Friday. The current flood situation in different parts of the country and the preparedness of central ministries and agencies to deal with it was reviewed at a high-level meeting chaired by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai. The Director General of the NDRF apprised the meeting that 83 NDRF teams have been positioned with all necessary equipment in vulnerable areas of the four flood-affected states, a home ministry statement said. These teams are in addition to the 173 teams of Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. An NDRF team comprises around 45 personnel. During the last two days, Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka received extremely heavy downpour, the India Metrological Department (IMD) said. In addition, Gujarat, West Madhya Pradesh and East Rajasthan are also expected to receive heavy rainfall till Saturday. 28 dead in Kerala, 144 in Maharashtra: In South India, reports of 45 deaths over the past three days have been reported, as rail and air services were hit and authorities scrambled to rescue people from low-lying and submerged areas. People in several districts of Kerala, particularly Wayanad and Malappuram, continued to face the wrath of the rains with landslips and floods leaving 28 people dead in rain-related incidents over the past three days and cutting-off several low-lying regions. The death toll due to rain-related incidents in the state of Maharashtra since the onset of monsoon was 144. The Maharashtra government said on Friday evening that it had released Rs 154 crore to district collectors for disbursal of aid to flood-affected people in western Maharashtra and elsewhere. Over 2.85 lakh people have been evacuated due to the devastating floods in western Maharashtra's five districts, including the worst-hit Kolhapur and Sangli, with the death toll reaching 29 on Friday. The region is being pummeled by rain over the last few days, and major rivers, including the Krishna and Panchaganga, are in spate. A total of 34 rescue teams are working in Kolhapur and 36 in Sangli. These include teams of the NDRF, Navy, Coast Guard and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). (inputs from PTI)