More than 200 rescue teams have been deployed across the country. (File)
Highlights
- Floods across India have killed more than 100 people in the last one week
- Lakhs have been displaced in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala due to floods
- Kerala government has ordered military teams to form rescue units
Union Home Minister Amit Shah conducted an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas of Karnataka's Belagavi district on Sunday. At least 30 people have died and more than two lakh people have been evacuated in the state, chief minister BS Yediyurappa has said. More than 100 people have been killed over the last one week and lakhs have been displaced in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala, which were also hit by floods. Although the number of dead in Kerala increased to 72, the Kochi airport began functioning this afternoon in an indication that the situation was easing in the southern state.
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After his aerial survey, Amit Shah held a meeting with officials involved in rescue and rehabilitation work at Sambra airport. The central and state governments are both committed to helping people in distress, he said.
The number of people who have died in floods and heavy rainfall across Pune division has reached 40, and three people are still missing. The authorities said 104 teams belonging to various agencies, besides 182 boats, are still hard at work in Sangli and Kolhapur.
The National Highway-4, which connects Mumbai with Bengaluru, might reopen for traffic on Monday, officials said. Five days ago, it was closed for traffic due to floods in western Maharashtra's Kolhapur and Sangli districts.
The Pinarayi Vijayan government of Kerala -- which is yet to recover from the worst flood it faced in a century -- has ordered military teams to form rescue units and airlift food to stranded villages across the state.
The heavy rains that have been lashing Kerala over the last few days seem to be easing, weather officials said. However, the number of dead rose to 72 while over 2.54 lakh displaced people continued to languish in relief camps.
Flight operations from the Cochin International Airport resumed on Sunday afternoon, two days after it was shut due to flooding of the runway area after heavy rains. An Abu Dhabi-Kochi IndiGo flight was the first to touch down at the airport around 12.15 pm.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited a relief camp at Boodanam Church at Malappuram in Kerala and reviewed relief measures in the flood-ravaged district. Mr Gandhi, who represents Wayanad in the Lok Sabha, also interacted with flood victims.
Pinarayi Vijayan exhorted people to remain vigilant even though the rains in Kerala seem to be subsiding. "There is respite from the rains in the hills. But we need to be cautious. It's not easy to escape landslides," he added.
As many as 173 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed across the country for rescue and relief work. An NDRF Control Room in New Delhi is functioning round the clock to keep an eye on the developments.
The incessant rains have caused largescale destruction in at least nine states, including Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, killing over 100 people and displacing lakhs.
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