17 dead on Wednesday as monsoon fury hits India: 10 points

Rains have battered several states in India leading to floods and landslides and throwing life completely out of gear. Huge human, as well as material loss, is being reported in several states.

Hyderabad: Monsoon has wreaked havoc across India with several states facing floods and partial to total disruption in normal life. At least 17 people died on Wednesday due to landslides and floods in various parts of the country while thousands more were forced to move to safety as rivers swelled and water reservoirs filled up fast.

Torrential downpours have thrown life out of gear in several states including Telengana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Maharashtra.

Here are the major updates coming from several states:

1. More than 10 people died in various rain-related incidents since the current spell of incessant rains began in Telangana five days ago, a senior official said on Wednesday. The rain-related incidents include walls collapsing, persons being washed away, electrocution and others. The damage due to the heavy rains is being assessed but the destruction of roads has not been major, he said.
2. The flood flow in river Godavari in Andhra Pradesh reached 15 lakh cusecs on Wednesday morning even as the second warning signal continued. However, the flood is apparently decreasing, according to State Disaster Management Authority Managing Director B R Ambedkar. "By evening the intensity could lessen but still people in vulnerable areas should remain cautious," Ambedkar said in a release.
3. Rains continue to wreak havoc in different parts of Karnataka. CM Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said 32 people have lost their lives so far, and Rs 500 crore will be released immediately to restore the basic infrastructure that got damaged.
4. In the west, heavy showers in parts of south Gujarat and Kutch-Saurashtra regions since Tuesday left 14 people dead, while over 31,000 were evacuated so far this season.
5. Three national highways in Kutch, Navsari and Dang districts were blocked while 51 state highways and over 400 panchayat roads have also been damaged, state Disaster Management Minister Rajendra Trivedi said. Heavy rains have also led to a rise in the water levels of various reservoirs in the state, with 30 of them being filled up to 70 per cent or more out of their total storage capacity.
6. Rains have wreaked havoc in Maharashtra, causing a landslide in the Palghar district that killed a man and his daughter while four people were swept away in overflowing streams in the Gondia district. Both Palghar and Gondia districts have been witnessing very heavy rains since Tuesday night that inundated low-lying areas. Following the landslide in Palghar, at least 40 families in the neighbourhood of Waghralpada have been shifted to safety.
7. The Maharashtra capital was lashed by incessant showers leading to flooding in many low-lying areas and traffic snarls. According to IMD, 20 locations in Mumbai received nearly 40 mm showers in six hours till 9.30 am on Wednesday.
8. Nearly 300 families in a village in Maharashtra's Hingoli district have been unable to cook their meals for the last four days after floods destroyed their food grains and other belongings. Heavy rains near the Asana river led to flooding in Kurunda village under Vasmat taluka in Hingoli and nearby areas on Saturday and Sunday.
9. In Odisha, very heavy rains battered many parts of the coastal state, causing a landslide in the Gajapati district that damaged at least 10 houses while major roads in Malkangiri and Kalahandi districts were damaged. The IMD has forecast heavy to very rains in nine southern Odisha districts in the next two days.
10. The Assam flood situation improved on Wednesday although one more person died and over 2.5 lakh people remained affected in five districts, a bulletin said. One person drowned in Kampur area of Nagaon district, taking the total number of people killed in floods and landslides in Assam this year to 193.