Schools and colleges were shut in Goa and Karnataka’s Mangaluru region on Wednesday because of heavy rains and a flood warning, PTI reported. The India Meteorological Department has also predicted heavy rain in Maharashtra’s capital Mumbai and adjoining areas such as Palghar and Raigad. Meanwhile, the Odisha government asked district collectors to be prepared to deal with a possible flood.
Goa
Director of Education Nagraj Honnekeri on Tuesday announced that schools and colleges would be closed the following day, PTI reported. The decision was taken after a meeting with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. The weather department said heavy to very heavy rainfall was likely in the state in the next 24 hours and issued an “orange alert’’.
The state has received heavy rain in the last week and several low-lying areas are already inundated. Many interstate buses were held up this week due to waterlogged roads and many tourists were stranded, The Times of India reported. Eight buses were also stuck near Goa’s border with Karnataka on Tuesday because of heavy rains.
The Kadamba Transport Corporation cancelled its buses from Goa to Pune, Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mumbai, Raichur, Solapur and Hyderabad on Tuesday. An unidentified official of the transport body said it had suffered losses worth Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh. The government has evacuated people from areas such as Pilgao, Sankhalim and Usgao in North Goa.
Sawant conducted a survey of flooded villages in low-lying areas of North Goa and parts of capital Panaji on Tuesday.
Karnataka
A holiday was declared for all anganwadis, schools and colleges in the coastal Karnataka districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi on Wednesday in view of the heavy-rain warning and red alert declared by the India Meteorological Department, PTI reported.
Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil said the decision was taken on the basis of the weather department’s report. Udupi Deputy Commissioner Hephsibha Rani Korlapati said the administration will consider extending the holidays if the weather does not improve.
A National Disaster Response Force team has been deployed at Suratkal in Dakshina Kannada to reach the rain-affected areas in case of an emergency, Korlapati added.
All the major rivers in the two districts are flowing above the danger mark and the water level in the Netravathi at Bantwal stood at 7.7 metres on Tuesday, close to the danger level of 8.5 metres, The Hindu reported.
Tourists have been asked not to visit beaches and fishermen have been advised not to venture out to the sea till Thursday. The Coast Guard has been put on high alert.
Maharashtra
A red alert was issued in Mumbai and adjoining areas on Tuesday, The Times of India reported. The administrations of Kolhapur and Sangli district have declared a holiday for schools and colleges on Wednesday, PTI reported. Both of these districts have been affected the most by rains, with more than 50,000 people evacuated till Tuesday. Five rescue teams of the Indian Navy have been mobilised to provide assistance in Kolhapur and Sangli.
The India Meteorological Department said a depression over the Bay of Bengal was likely to deepen in the next 24 hours. “The low pressure which had formed in the Bay of Bengal has intensified into a depression and models are indicating that it is going to intensify further to deep depression,” The Times of India quoted IMD Deputy Director KS Hosalikar as saying. “Owing to this, weather patterns are changing and we have accordingly given out detailed weather warnings.”
Pune Divisional Commissioner Deepak Mhaisekar on Tuesday said the flood situation in Kolhapur and Sangli was “critical” as several rivers in the region were flowing above the danger mark.
The weather department said wind speed between 45 kmph and 65 kmph was likely to prevail along the Maharashtra-Goa coast in the next five days and advised fishermen to stay away from the sea.
Mumbai and its suburbs have been receiving heavy rainfall since the last weekend. Schools and colleges in Pune district were closed on Tuesday even as heavy rains forced authorities to release water from dams.
Odisha
Heavy rainfall also lashed several parts of Odisha on Wednesday and triggered a flood-like situation, PTI reported.
At least three wagons of a goods train derailed in Ambadola station and several trains were cancelled or diverted due to heavy waterlogging on tracks, an unidentified railway official told the news agency.
Special Relief Commissioner BP Sethi said that rainfall submerged vast areas in Malkangiri, Rayagada, Koraput, Kandhamal and Gajapati districts in south Odisha. He also issued an advisory and cautioned that there is the likelihood of flood and waterlogging in areas where heavy to very heavy rainfall has been predicted.
The Meteorological Centre said the depression over northwest Bay of Bengal off the north Odisha-West Bengal coasts has intensified into a deep depression. The deep depression now lay centred about 70 km southeast of Balasore in Odisha and 70 km south southwest of Digha in West Bengal, the weather department said. Heavy to very heavy rain is predicted in several areas till August 9, it said.
The water level of the Sileru, Saberi and Saptadhara rivers, flowing in the Malkangiri
district, were also rising. Malkangiri District Collector Manish Agarwal said all schools in the district have been asked to declare a holiday on Wednesday.
Fishermen in the coastal areas of Odisha and West Bengal have been advised not to venture into the sea till August 10. Teams of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force are also on standby in some areas of Malkangiri and Rayagada.
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