At least 95 people are killed and 100,000 evacuated after flash floods and mudslides in India
- The dramatic conditions hit the Indian states of Karnataka, Karala and Mahrashtra over the past 48 hours
- Experts fear that more heavy rains are on the way which could threaten the safety of a number of dams
- Engineers have been draining water from some of the dams reducing the pressure and chance of collaspe
The death toll from floods in India’s states of Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra rose to 95, official figures showed on Saturday, as heavy rain and landslides forced hundreds of thousands to evacuate their homes.
Seasonal monsoon rains from June to September are a crucial lifeline for agrarian Indian society, delivering 70 per cent of the country’s rainfall, but they also bring in their wake death and destruction every year.
Some 42 people died in southwestern Kerala and over 100,000 affected people have been evacuated, the central government’s disaster management cell said, after 80 landslides hit the state in two days.
Rescue teams used small canoes to find people trapped by flood waters in Kochi in the southern state of Kerala, India. It is feared one man has been trapped inside this semi-submerged temple
Rescuers helped people across flooded areas so they could make their way to higher ground to escape the danger
A rope was run across this stream in the Wayanad district of Kerala so people could cross without getting washed away
The state planned to open the gates of Banasurasagar dam in Wayanad district at 0930 GMT, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said during a news conference in the city of Kochi. Shutters of the dam were partially opened on Saturday morning to manage the water level and avoid serious damage, a senior state official of the district said.
A red alert, or severe rainfall and bad weather conditions forecast, has been issued for seven out of 14 districts in the state, the Kerala State Disaster Management control room told Reuters on Saturday.
Last year, Kerala was hit by one of its worst floods in one hundred years. More than 200 people were killed and over 5 million affected.
Landslides and flooding have killed more than 90 people with 100,000 others being forced to flee to safer areas
People were forced to improvise in efforts to help those unable to swim away from the dangerously flooded areas
Flood waters threatened Cochin International Airport which has been closed since Friday after the taxiways became waterlogged. Officials fear that flights will resume until Sunday at the earliest
The state’s busiest airport, Cochin International Airport, has been closed since Friday as the taxiway is water-logged. The airport is expected to reopen from Sunday as water levels had started to recede, the state body said.
In neighboring Karnataka, home to India’s tech hub Bengaluru, some 24 people have died in what chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said on Saturday were the worst floods in 45 years.
Around 1,024 villages have been inundated due to the rains, several dams were reaching their full capacity, and over 200,000 people had been evacuated, he added.
Worse still for people in the region, several dams are approaching their maximum capacity and may not be able to hold back the massive amount of water caused by the floods
The army has been sent in to the Belgaum and Belagavi district in North Karnataka, where 22,000 people have been moved to 315 camps
Weather forecasters confirmed that many of the districts affected by the floods are facing a red warning
As many as 16 of the state’s 30 districts have been affected by the heavy rains and 235,105 people have been evacuated and shifted to 624 relief camps, Yeddyurappa added.
In Maharashtra, home to India’s financial capital Mumbai, 29 people have died this week.
The Indian Meteorological Department said on its website that heavy to very heavy rain was likely to lash isolated areas of Kerala, parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra, and some southern states might also see extremely heavy rain on Saturday.
These three men have rescued this dog in the Gadag district of North Karnataka, India, earlier today
Members of the Indian state civil defence helped this family to safety as part of the massive operation
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