Rains claim 10 lives in Guj; situation improves in Bihar, UP

New Delhi, Aug 8 (UNI) Torrential rains fury claimed ten lives in Gujarat and forced the Junagadh district administration to seek Army's assistance at Veraval in the rescue and relief operations while flood situation in Bihar and UP improved during the past 24 hours.

Army jawans from Jamnagar Air Force, who were called in for the rescue operation, air-lifted eight people stranded on the rooftops of Pipli village in Jamnagar. Nearly 735 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas Jamnagar, a report here stated.

The situation was no less different in Saurashtra region. Rajkot Municipal Corporation Commissioner B H Ghodsara told UNI that as many as 4,000 people from Veraval and 7,000 from other low-lying areas have been shifted to safer places in Rajkot city.

Even as the turbulent Ghagra, Rapti and Kuano rivers in Uttar Pradesh showed signs of improvement in 22 flood-affected districts, the toll due to rain-triggered incidents today mounted to 175, following the death of eight more persons since yesterday.

The fresh deaths were reported from Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Ferozabad and Maharajganj districts, reports said.

In Karnataka three deaths were reported from Belgaum, Kodagu and Uttara Kannada districts, respectively taking the toll to 21 during last four days in 13 districts of the state.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa would make an aerial survey of the affected districts from tomorrow.

The state government had demanded an immediate relief of Rs 300 crore from the Centre.

Though the flood situation was improving in Andhra Pradesh as the waters of Vamsadhara and Nagavali were receding, yet two people reportedly drowned and one was missing in floods in river Vamsadhara, even as five villages were marooned in Srikakulam district of the state.

According to officials, as many as 20,000 people were shifted to 40 relief camps opened in the five mandals of the district.

The overall flood situation improved in Bihar as water levels of most of the rivers in north Bihar started receding, while the toll figure during the current flood fury has touched 105 so far.

Hot and humid conditions prevailed in Punjab and Haryana even as rains lashed isolated places in the north-west region overnight.

Despite monsoon clouds hovering in the region, rains eluded most places in the plains, leading to humid weather.

Monsoon rain lashed some areas in Punjab with the holy city of Amritsar, recording 7.6 mm downpour overnight. Rajpura measured 10 mm and Anandpur Sahib 2.0 mm.

Certain areas in Haryana also received rainfall. Sonepat and Bhivani recorded 10 mm each rainfall till this morning.

Monsoon showers also lashed few areas in Himachal Pradesh, including Kasol, Kheri and Dhundi. Shimla and its adjoining areas, had no rainfall overnight.

Delhiites continued to swelter under hot and humid conditions even though the mercury dropped slightly to 36.5 degrees Celsius.

Despite the drop, the maximum temperature of 36.5 degrees remained three degrees above normal.

After a day of torrential rains, life in the city and its suburbs returned to normal today with little or no rains in Mumbai.

Incessant rains lashing Kolhapur in Maharashtra since the past six days has led to a rise in water levels of Panchaganga, Warna and Krishna rivers, threatening those living on its banks besides marooning Rajapur, Rajapurwadi and Khidrapur villages in Shirol tehsil.

A high alert has been sounded in 100 villages and six villages vacated as emergency steps were initiated to empty the Chandora reservoir on the Tapti river in Betul district of Madhya Pradesh, after 100-metre portion of the earthen dam caved in.

In Tamil Nadu, a flood alert has been sounded in 11 Cauvery delta districts of the state as about 60,000 cusecs of water was released from the Mettur and Bhavanisagar reservoirs, even as the water level in Mettur dam was expected to reach the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) for the second time this year by tonight.

Torrential downpour for the last five days in Goa, resulted in a major landslide near Nagarcem tunnel in Canacona railway station under the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited route that affected through-traffic between Margao and Mangalore since last evening.

Meanwhile, the met department has predicted very heavy rains in most places in Gujarat, Konkan and Goa.

UNI