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In the past week, heavy rains have claimed over 200 lives in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh as well as northern Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa. Major cities have been completely submerged and thousands of villages have been cut off by swirling floodwaters
With more heavy rains forecast for flood-ravaged coastal Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat over the next three days, the Indian government has decided -- at a high-level meeting to review the situation on August 8 -- to immediately release the remaining funds from the central Calamity Relief Fund to these states. The first instalment of the Centre's share of the CRF, amounting to Rs 135.48 crore, has already been released to Andhra Pradesh, and Rs 96.86 crore to Gujarat.
Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will visit the affected areas in Gujarat and Maharashtra on August 10.
Several Indian cities were almost totally submerged by floodwaters on August 8, following incessant rains and the release of water from major dams in the region. India's diamond hub and Gujarat's largest city of Surat was completely under water after the unprecedented release of 1.8 million cusecs of water from the Ukai dam. More than 200,000 people were moved to higher ground in the city that is witnessing its worst flooding in a decade, with water levels over 1.5 metres high in most places. Vadodara was also under water, with the Vishwamitra flowing five feet above the danger mark. In Maharashtra, Nashik and Nanded were also completely flooded, with the Godavari river a metre above the danger mark.
Although a number of army columns have already been deployed in the affected cities, the Indian government has asked the states to send in their requirements so that additional manpower, already on stand-by, can be rushed to the required areas.
Over 190,000 people were evacuated from different parts of south Gujarat as major rivers in the region flowed above the danger mark. Alerts were also sounded in Maharashtra's Marathwada and Vidarbha regions after 70 people died in rain-related incidents.
Over the past week, more than 200 people have been killed and millions affected by flooding in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, northern Karnataka, parts of Madhya Pradesh and Orissa. In Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat alone, 3.3 million people have been affected.
With 106 people killed, Andhra Pradesh has witnessed the worst of the flooding; 16 districts in the state have been affected. According to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, more than 115,000 people had to be evacuated from 5,412 villages in the state's coastal areas that have been ravaged by the swollen Godavari river, which is flowing four feet above the danger mark. Reddy said crops in 923,000 acres had been inundated and around 67,000 houses damaged. A preliminary estimate put crop and property losses at Rs 112.31 crore.
In Madhya Pradesh, the latest state to face the fury of the floods, Khargone, Jhabua and Badhwani districts were the worst hit. At least a dozen people have reportedly died in flood-related incidents in these areas.
Khargone district has received its heaviest rainfall in 40 years. Around 10,000 people from low-lying villages have been evacuated and taken to relief camps, as bridges collapsed and houses were washed away. Nearly 1,500 families are currently living on the shores of the river Kunda.
Source: PTI, August 9,
2006
Hindustan Times, August 9,
2006
www.ndtv.com, August 9,
2006
Reuters, August 9,
2006
The Hindu, August 9, 2006
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