Rain fury: States swept by deaths, disaster and destruction

MUMBAI/AHMEDABAD/BHOPAL,JULY 14:  Heavy rains continue to lash several parts of the country, taking lives, damaging property, and disrupting livelihood. In Maharashtra, 89 people have died while 68 others have been injured and four people are missing due to the heavy and continuous downpour.

In Gujarat, 14 people have been killed in rain-related incidents in the last 24 hours, as heavy showers ravaged parts of south Gujarat and Kutch-Saurashtra regions. Over 31,000 people have been evacuated so far this rainy season in Gujarat, officials said on Wednesday.

In the last 13 days, many regions of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, have received very heavy rainfall, leaving 249 villages badly hit. A total of 7,796 people have been evacuated from different parts of the state. As many as 1,368 houses have got partially damaged while 44 are completely damaged.

The state government has opened 35 relief camps for the displaced people. Maximum damage has taken place in Gadchiroli, Palghar and Nagpur districts. Four landslide incidents have been reported, leading to the death of four people.

In Madhya Pradesh, Betul and Harda districts have been the hit the worst by heavy rainfall, with many rivers being in spate. Six members of a family, led by 65-year-old Madhukar Patil who was on his way to Nagpur to drop his daughter and grandson, were swept away in a flooded nullah on Tuesday evening. The family was travelling in a SUV, and decided to proceed on an overflowing culvert in the Kelvad area of Nagpur’s Saoner area (located on Chhindwara-Betul-Nagour junction), but were swept away along with the vehicle.

The government machinery in the affected states is monitoring the situation closely. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has asked the administration to extend all possible help to people who are trapped at various places.

-TNIE