With abatement of rains, sun brought some respite to flood-hit States-Kerala, and Karnataka and Gujarat on Thursday as water receded in many low-lying areas and the state began to return to normalcy, even as toll in the second spell of the south-west monsoon rose to 141 with 36 missing. As many as 1,000 people have been died in floods, landslides and rain related incidents, displaced one million and destroyed over 50,000 houses in eight States since June 1.
As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), India has received 1 per cent more rainfall than average since the start of the monsoon season. The southwest monsoon are crucial for farm output and economic growth as the agricultural sector forms about 15 per cent of India’s $2.5 trillion economy. India received 45 per cent more rainfall than the 50-year average in the week to August 15. The rains from June to September are a lifeline for rural India, delivering some 70 per cent of the country’s rainfall, but they also cause death and destruction each year.
The flood has impacted kharif sowing in eight States. As per the Agriculture Ministry data, the kharif crops planting is estimated 870 lakh hectares, 5.5 per cent lower than the 919 lakh hectares sown in the corresponding week last year. The shortfall is the highest in rice, at 265 lh (304 lh) nearly 13 per cent down. Flood-hit West Bengal (a deficit of 9 lakh hectare), Odisha (5 lakh hectare) and Bihar (5 lakh hectare) were among the States that reported the maximum drop in rice planting. Sowing was also down in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana.
According to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the southern States of Kerala and Karnataka, and Maharashtra and Gujarat in the west, were among the hardest hit by floods that washed away thousands of hectares of summer-sown crops and damaged roads and rail lines.
In Kerala, the people have started shifting to their homes in many places, there are 1,75,373 still sheltered in 1,057 relief camps.
According to the Kerala Disaster Management Authority, a total of 11,901 houses have been partially damaged and 1115 fully damaged. Search operations continued at Kavalappara in Malappuram and Puthumala in Wayanad, where a series of landslides had wiped out two villages last week, to trace those who were feared to have been buried alive. “Currently, there is no ‘red alert’ warning in any of the 14 districts of the Kerala as the intensity of rains decreased. An ‘orange alert’ (isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall) was sounded in northern districts of Kannur and Kasaragod on Thursday while’yellow alert’ (heavy rainfall) has been issued in Idukki, Kannur and Kasaragod for Friday, the IMD said.
Kerala’s neighbouring State Karnataka continues to battle monsoon fury, the death toll mounted to 94. The floods have also resulted in heavy loss of livestock with 1050 animals reported dead. The IMD has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall during the next 24 hours in most parts of Karnataka, with extremely heavy falls at isolated areas of Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga districts.
Several rivers are in spate in Madhya Pradesh and many low-lying areas inundated following incessant rains in various parts of the state. According to IMD forecast, Madhya Pradesh is expected to “very heavy to extremely heavy showers” in 18 districts till Friday morning.
The IMD also issued a orange weather warning for extremely heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh on August 18. The warning for extremely has been issued for the plains, lower and middle hills of the State.
In Maharashtra, which includes the financial capital Mumbai, 222 people died in the floods and rain related incidents. The flood waters have started receding. As many as 769 villages are affected from floods in the State.
In Madhya Pradesh, the biggest producer of soybeans, heavy rains killed 32 people and damaged crops. Over 145 villages are inundated and107 people reported to have died in rain-related incidents in Gujarat, while landslides killed nearly a dozen people in the northern hilly state of Uttarakhand.