The Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Sunday said as many as 774 people have died because of floods and rains in seven states in this year’s monsoon season, PTI reported.
The ministry’s National Emergency Response Centre said 187 people have lost their lives in Kerala, 171 in Uttar Pradesh, 170 people in West Bengal and 139 in Maharashtra. As many as 52 people lost their lives in Gujarat, 45 in Assam and eight in Nagaland.
The rains have affected 26 districts in Maharashtra, 23 in Assam, 22 in West Bengal, 14 in Kerala, 12 in Uttar Pradesh, 11 in Nagaland and 10 in Gujarat. In Assam, 11.45 lakh people have borne the brunt of the rains and floods, which also destroyed crops across 27,552 hectares of land.
Kerala floods
The ministry released the statement on a day Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited Kerala, where at least 39 people have died in rain-related incidents until Monday. The minister, who said the situation was “very serious”, announced a flood-relief package of Rs 100 crore for the state. He conducted an aerial survey of the flood-hit regions and assured the state government of all help from the Centre.
Singh met Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who handed over a memorandum seeking an immediate assistance of Rs 1,220 crore, Manorama reported. Vijayan said the state, which is facing the worst floods since 1924, has suffered losses worth Rs 8,316 crore. He asked Singh to immediately send a central team to assess the damage.
Collectors of districts worst hit by the floods and landslips have decided to keep educational institutions closed on Monday also.
Emergency services in the state remain on alert as weathermen monitored the development of a fresh low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal, The Hindu reported. Idukki and Wayanad districts will remain on red alert till August 14, though the water level in the Idukki dam has reduced to 2,397.58 feet, PTI reported. The red alert period ends on Monday in Alappuzha, Kannur, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts.
More than 1 lakh people have been shifted to 1,026 relief camps while crops in 1,513 hectares of land have been damaged, causing an estimated loss of Rs 10.66 crore.
The fourth sluice gate of the Idamalayar dam in Ernakulam district was opened on Sunday following heavy rain in catchment areas.
The India Meteorological Department said that the coasts of Karnataka, Kerala and Lakshadweep may experience winds packing speeds of 35 to 45 km per hour, rising to 60 km per hour in some areas. It warned fisherpeople against venturing out to sea.
Tea, coffee, cardamom and rubber planters in Kerala have suffered losses of about Rs 600 crore so far due to the rains and flooding, Ajit BK, the secretary of the Association of Planters of Kerala, told PTI.
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