Idukki Landslide: Death Toll Jumps to 43; Rainfall Warning Issued in Odisha

New Delhi, August 9: The death toll in the landslide in Kerala's Idukki district rose to 43 on Sunday as 17 more bodies were retrieved from under the debris, while 87,000 more people were affected by the floods in Bihar, taking the total to nearly 74 lakh in the state.

The meteorological department predicted heavy rainfall in parts of Maharashtra on Monday and across Odisha during the next five days. There was a brief spell of lights rains in Delhi during the day, while the maximum temperatures in Haryana and Punjab dropped slightly following showers at several places in the region. Also Read | ISKON to Celebrate Janmashtami on August 12: Live Breaking News Headlines & Coronavirus Updates on August 9, 2020.

An India Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletin said heavy to very heavy rainfall was likely at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, north Punjab, west Uttar Pradesh, east Rajasthan, east Madhya Pradesh, coastal and south interior Karnataka and Kerala on Monday. Also Read | Did PM Narendra Modi Send 'Rs 50 Crore' to UP CM Yogi Adityanath For Early Construction of Ram Temple? PIB Fact Check Debunks Fake PMO Letter.

Heavy rainfall was likely at isolated places in Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, east Uttar Pradesh, west Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Bihar, West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Konkan, Goa, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Telangana and north interior Karnataka, it said.

Rains lashed many parts of Kerala on Sunday amid predictions of extremely heavy rainfall in six districts. The IMD has issued a red alert of extremely heavy rainfall in Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Alappuzha districts.

There is likely to be a reduction in rainfall from Tuesday, it said. Three days after the settlements of estate workers were swept away by devastating landslides at Pettimudi near Rajamala in Idukki, various agencies engaged in the rescue operations recovered 17 more bodies on Sunday.

Incessant rains, landslides and opening of shutters of dams across rivers have led to rise in water levels in rivers and streams in central Kerala, aggravating the flood situation. An airport taxi driver was washed away in floodwaters at Manarcad area in Kottayam district in the early hours of Sunday. His body was recovered later.

Officials said four cases of drowning have been reported from Kasargod, Kannur, Kozhikode and Alappuzha districts since Saturday. In Maharashtra, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely in parts of the state due to a low pressure area formed over north-west and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal, the IMD said.

Heavy rainfall is likely at some places in the Western Ghat sections of central Maharashtra and the coastal region of the state starting Sunday, an official said. Mumbai and other parts of the western coast would witness strong winds with speed reaching up to 50 to 60 km per hour, he said.

In Bihar, the number of flood-affected people has risen to 74 lakh, while deaths caused due to the deluge stood at 23, a state bulletin said. The deluge has swamped 1,232 panchayat areas in 125 blocks of 16 districts, it added. A total of 5.08 lakh people have been evacuated from the deluge-hit areas so far, the bulletin said.

Rivers such as Baghmati, Burhi Gandak, Kamlabalan, Adhwara, Khiroi and Ghaghra are flowing above the danger levels. Ganga is also flowing 17 cm above the danger mark at Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur. The river's water level rose by 1-4 cm at various places in the state, officials said.

The Patna weather office here has forecast light rain on Monday in the catchment areas of all the rivers flowing through Bihar. A fresh low-pressure area is likely to trigger heavy rainfall in most parts of Odisha in the next five days, the weather office in Bhubaneswar said, prompting the state government to direct district administrations to remain prepared.

Forecasting strong surface winds with speeds reaching up to 40-50 kmph over west-central Bay of Bengal, the weather office advised fishermen to refrain from venturing into deep sea till Tuesday. Issuing a 'Yellow warning' for Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Gajapati districts till Monday morning, it said heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely in some parts of these districts.

Isolated heavy rainfall may also occur in Ganjam, Rayagada, Bolangir, Bargarh, Anugul and Nuapada districts. The weather office also issued 'Orange Warning' on Monday and Tuesday in the districts of Malkangiri, Koraput, Nawarangpur, Kalahandi, Gajapati, Rayagada and Bolangir where heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely at some places.

On Tuesday, heavy rainfall is likely at some places in Bargarh, Nuapada, Bolangir, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Nawarangpur and Koraput districts where the Met has issued a yellow warning. Up north, a brief spell of light rains and cloudy weather brought the mercury slightly down in Delhi. The IMD said light rains were reported from many places in the national capital, including the IGI airport, Dwarka, Safdarjung and Bahadurgarh.

The Safdarjung Observatory gauged 1 mm rainfall, while the Ridge and Lodhi Road weather stations recorded 7 mm and 1.6 mm precipitation respectively. The rains brought the mercury down to 35 degrees Celsius, the weatherman said. The IMD said moderate to heavy rains are likely in Delhi till Wednesday.

The maximum temperatures in Haryana and Punjab dropped slightly after rains lashed several places in the two states.

Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, which received light showers, recorded a high of 33.3 degrees Celsius. In Haryana, Karnal received 90 mm rain, Ambala 31 mm and Hisar received 17 mm of rain. In Punjab, Ludhiana received 16 mm rain and Amritsar six mm.

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