Heavy rains have battered the nothern and central Kerala since August 8. The state has been affected majorly by the Southwest Mosnoon Heavy rains have battered the nothern and central Kerala since August 8. The state has been affected majorly by the Southwest Monsoon. Death toll has reached 32 and according to state offcials, over 53,501 people have been displaced to relief camps across the state. Around 439 relief camps have been put up around Kerala. Army has been deployed in five coulmns for the eleven-severly hit northern distrcits of Kerala. state government has declared a situation of high alert. Indian Navy has also been put on alert after the water level of in Periyar river rose. According to officials almost all 40 rivers in the state are in full spate. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday undertook an aerial survey of flood-hit Kerala to take stock of the situation in the southern state. Singh was accompanied by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Union Tourism Minister KJ Alphons and senior state and Home Minister officers. "Kerala is in the midst of an unprecedented rain havoc. Path to recovery can be long & arduous, but you can make a difference by joining the rebuilding efforts. CM Pinarayi Vijayan has urged all to contribute generously to the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund," the chief ministers's office tweeted. After a brief lull, rains started lashing several parts of Kerala since this morning, posing problems to the relief operations undertaken by multiple agencies in the flood and landslides hit regions.<doc-sep>The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh, accompanied by Shri K.J. Alphons, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism, Director General, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Shri Sanjay Kumar and senior officers from the Ministry of Home Affairs, visited the flood/landslide affected areas of Kerala today. Shri Rajnath Singh also carried out aerial survey of the affected areas of Adimali, Aluva and ParavurTaluk as well as the Cheruthoni-Idukki dam and immediate areas downstream and reviewed the search, rescue and relief measures taken by the State Government and other Central Government agencies with the Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan, Ministers of the State Government, Chief Secretary, Director General of Police and other senior officers of the Central Agencies and State administration. The Ministers also visited relief camp and met the affected people living in the relief camps. Based on aerial survey, field visit and interaction with the affected people, Shri Rajnath Singh expressed his satisfaction on the arrangements made by the State administration in managing the unprecedented floods/landslides in the State and in providing basic amenities, including food, water and medical service etc. in the rescue and relief camps. The Chief Minister thanked the Central Government for deploying 14 teams of NDRF and adequate resources of Defence Forces for search, rescue and assisting the administration in relief distribution. Union Home Minister assured State Government to provide additional teams of NDRF and other assets of Air Force, Navy, Army and Coast Guard, if any need is felt by the State Government. Shri Rajnath Singh announced that the Central Government has already released an assistance of Rs 80.25 crore as Second Installment of Central share under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). With a view to assist State Government, the Union Home Minister also announced release of Rs 100 crore in advance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). He also informed that based on the Memorandum received from the State Government, an Inter-Ministerial Centre Team (IMCT) has already been deputed and is currently visiting the affected areas in the State for assessment of losses and the Government of India will consider providing additional relief from NDRF as per norms on priority. Briefing the media Shri Rajnath Singh expressed concern over the loss of human lives and damage caused to the crop. He assured that the Central Government will continue to provide all possible assistance to the State Government to cope with the flood situation. During the current South-West monsoon season, various parts of the State of Kerala have been affected by heavy rains/rain oriented calamities of varying degrees. 14 teams of NDRF consisting of 404 rescuers and 31 boats are already deployed in the worst affected districts viz. Thrissur, Ernakkulam, Kozhikode, Idukki, Wayanad and Alapuzha to assist the State administration in the relief and rescue operation as well as distribution of essential relief material and to provide medical support to affected people at the time of emergency. In addition to adequate number of column of Army, Navy and Coast Guard, helicopters of Indian Air Force, Navy & Coast Guard are also deployed in the State for assisting State administration in lifting and dropping of essential commodities.<doc-sep>Kerala floods LIVE updates: IMD says no heavy rain warning in state for next four days; 22,034 more people rescued on Sunday. Auto refresh feeds IMD withdraws red alert for Kerala for Sunday, reported DD News. Only three districts —Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Ernakulam — are on orange alert. All other districts have been issued yellow and green alert, hinting likely rainfall at some places. The 33 deaths reported during the day took place in Ernakulam, Thrissur, Idukki, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha districts. The death toll due to rains and floods in Kerala has gone up to 368 (since monsoon began), as 33 more deaths were reported on Saturday even as around 58,000 people were rescued in different parts of the state. With mass evacuation from Kuttanad region beginning, the number of people shifted to relief camps across Kerala has crossed 8.45 lakh. The displaced people have been accommodated in 3,746 relief camps across the state. A Kerala Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) official said that 2,10,119 people from Alappuzha have been sheltered in 678 camps across the district and neighbouring areas till 8 pm on Saturday. The maximum number of relief camps is in Thrissur district, where 1,99,720 people have taken shelter. The services at the Kochi international airport, which is among the busiest in the country, have been suspended till 26 August after flood water inundated the runway.The decisions were taken at a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), the country's apex body to handle emergency situation, headed by Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha. In the wake of massive floods in Kerala, the Centre on Friday decided to open Kochi Naval airstrip for use by commercial aircraft by Monday and deploy five more choppers, taking the total number of aircraft used for rescue and relief to 96. Bus services between Karnataka and Kerala will begin plying as Kerala State Road Transport Cooperation has restored all its services to Kerala sector, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Trissur, Palghat, Calicut, Cannanore and Thiruvananthapuram (except Kasaragod), reported News18. The first service starts at 4 pm to Thiruvananthapuram from Bengaluru on Sunday. The Alappuzha police have arrested five people, who have refused to lend their houseboats for rescue operations in the Kuttanad region, where a massive evacuation is on following flood in the Pampa river. The arrests were made on the direction of Public Works Minister G Sudhakaran, who hails from the district. Earlier the district administration had warned that it will seize boats and arrest the owners if they did not cooperate with the authorities. The administration has so far seized 35 houseboats. More than 2.10 lakh people have been evacuated from the district till 8 pm on Saturday. The operation has resumed in the morning by pressing more boats into action. Kerala has been receiving financial aid from various state governments across the country. The social media has also helped in the collection of funds from individuals and organisations. Anbodu Kochi or Do for Kerala and Kerala Bleeding were some of the organisations that have opened collection centres in Ernakulam and Bangalore respectively to collect items like baby food, sanitary napkins, mosquito repellants. People in Mumbai gather essential items to be sent to flood-hit Kerala on Sunday. People from Mumbai gather essential commodities to be sent to flood-hit Kerala The number of people evacuated from flood-hit areas has gone up from 4.5 lakh at 8 pm on Saturday to 8,46,680 till 9 am on Sunday, according to Kerala State Disaster Management (KSDMA) control room officials. In all 2,076,40 families have taken refuge in 3,734 relief camps across the state. The officials said that 39 people who were missing are yet to be traced. Over 130 people who were injured in the flood are admitted in various hospitals. 2,076,40 families have taken refuge in 3,734 relief camps across the state: KSDMA The Kerala state committee of the IATA Agents Association of India has launched a helpline to provide assistance to those travelling to and from Kerala in the wake of the flood devastation. The suspension of operation in the Cochin International Airport has affected large number of people, especially the non-resident Keralites who normally take their annual holiday during the Onam festival season. The helpline numbers are 9846166668 and 9995049243. IATA Agents Association of India launches helpline to provide assistance to those travelling to and from Kerala In Tamil Nadu, an almost 100-year old bridge over the Kollidam river in Trichy, that connects Srirangam with the mainland, finally collapsed at midnight on Saturday, three days after cracks had developed in two of its pillars. The old steel bridge had been in disuse since 2015 when a new bridge was constructed adjacent to it keeping in mind its age and condition. It was only being used by pedestrians and two-wheelers, that too rarely. The gushing waters of the Kollidam (a distributary of the Cauvery), with a flow of 1.7 lakh cusecs, had finally sounded the death knell to the bridge. Authorities who been monitoring the situation since the cracks developed were predicting its imminent collapse. ( Inputs by Mydeen Abdul Kadar/101Reporters) Uttar Pradesh DGP OP Singh tweeted on Saturday mourning loss of lives in Kerala. "Deeply saddened by the loss of valuable lives & mass destruction caused by the Kerala Floods. @UPPolice prays for the safety & well being of people of Kerala in this hour of grief. I appeal to all UPPolice Personnel to voluntarily donate 1 day salary for #KeralaFloods relief," he said. Kovind also praised the relief agencies for their response and commitment. President Ram Nath Kovind spoke to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Governor P Sathasivam on Saturday to inquire about the flood situation in the state. He expressed satisfaction that the Union and state governments were working in synergy in the rescue and relief operations in the state. He acknowledged the grit and resilience of the people of Kerala in coming together and assured that the entire nation was with them. Alappuzha District Collector S Suhas claimed that 97 percent of the people marooned in the flooded Kuttanad region have been evacuated and efforts are on to rescue the remaining.<doc-sep>A local politician, Saji Cherian, broke down in tears on TV on Friday describing the crisis there. "Please give us a helicopter. I am begging you. Please help me, people in my place will die. Please help us. There is no other solution, people have to be airlifted," he said.<doc-sep>
Union home minister Rajnath Singh conducted an aerial survey of some flood-hit areas in Kerala. More than 60,000 people have been accommodated in relief camps. Thiruvananthapuram: After a brief lull, rains started lashing several parts of Kerala since Sunday morning, posing problems to the relief operations undertaken by multiple agencies in the flood and landslides hit regions. However, the water level in the Idukki and Idamalayar reservoirs reduced, bringing some relief, with the authorities saying there was no need for any panic for people living downstream, officials said. There were no fresh casualties reported since Saturday and the toll in the rain-related incidents since the current monsoon fury from 8 August stood at 37, they said. Union home minister Rajnath Singh conducted an aerial survey of some flood-hit areas on Sunday. More than 60,000 people have been accommodated in relief camps set up in different areas, including in Wayand where over 14,000 people had been sheltered. Ten columns of army, a unit of Madras Regiment along with personnel of navy, air force and the NDRF were engaged in relief and rescue operations in badly-hit districts including Kozhikode, Idukki, Malappuram, Kannur and Wayanad, Defence sources said. Mananthavady and Vythiri in the hilly Wayanad district have been totally cut-off, with roads washed away and houses marooned by water. Water level in the Idukki dam, the biggest arch dam in Asia which was opened after a gap of 26 years, marginally declined to 2399.16 feet at 10 am on Sunday, after hovering close to its maximum of 2,403 feet in the past few days, officials said. There was a brief respite from the rains on Saturday in several parts of the state, but the fresh heavy downpour was making relief works difficult now, authorities said. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had on Saturday warned that heavy to very heavy rains were expected in 16 states, including Kerala, till Sunday. The weather department has issued a 'Red alert', asking people to be cautious as there was a possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall in most places in Idukki, Wayanad, Kannur, Ernakulam, Palakkad and Malappuram districts. Around 1,500 houses were damaged partially and 101 have been destroyed completely in rain fury in the state during the last few days, according to the disaster control room officials. "Heading to Kerala to take stock of the situation in the state. Shall conduct a survey of the flood affected areas and also visit the relief camp sites', Rajnath Singh tweeted. The Chief Minister on Saturday undertook an aerial survey of rain ravaged areas of Idukki and Wayanad and said Kerala was in the midst of an unprecedented flood havoc and that the calamity has caused "immeasurable misery and devastation."