As heavy rains continue to lash Kerala and Karnataka, operations at Kochi airport have been suspended till Sunday 3 pm. The death toll in Kerala rains has climbed to 22, said chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan .

Kerala’s Disaster Management Authority has issued red alert in Idukki, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad districts for two more days.

The chief minister has sought Army and Air Force help as more rain is predicted over the next two days. Over 13,000 people have been evacuated so far and have been taken to over 60 relief camps, the state revenue department said.

Rahul Gandhi has urged Congress leaders across the country to provide all possible help to people in flood-hit states of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Gujarat, Bihar, Assam and Odisha.

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6:32 PM IST Southern Railways cancels 20 trains Southern Railway suspended operations on two routes and cancelled 20 trains due to floods in Palakkad. Services on a 100-km stretch from Palakkad to Kuttipuram that runs parallel to Bharathappuzha River and from Feroke to Kallai have been suspended.





6:07 PM IST Malappuram landslide: 30 families feared missing Kavalappara and Nilambur saw severe floods and landslides and several preson, even entire families have gone missing.





4:46 IST Govts requests IAF to be on standby for rescue in Nilgiris With torrential rains lashing Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu, leading to floods and landslides, the state government has requested the Indian Air Force to be on standby to carry out rescue efforts. Chief Minister K Palaniswami said the incessant rains had resulted in flood and landslides, adding Avalanchi in the district recorded 911 mm rainfall on Thursday. It had earlier received 820 mm on Wednesday.





3:58 pm IST Karnataka increases water discharge from Almatti dam Karnataka has so far discharged 4.50 lakh cusecs water from the Almatti dam, a move expected to bring ease flood situation in Kolhapur and Sangli districts of Maharashtra. An official from Fadnavis’ office has said at present the discharge from the dam on the Krishna river in Bijapur district of neighbouring Karnataka was 4,50,000 cusecs (cubic foot per second). The discharge from the dam was 4,30,352 cusecs at 10 am on Friday which was later raised to 4,50,000, he said. The official said by Friday evening, the discharge would be 5 lakh cusecs as demanded by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis from his Karnataka counterpart B S Yediyurappa.





2:55 pm IST Moderate rains in Punjab, Haryana The temperature in Punjab and Haryana slightly came down as several parts in the two states received light to moderate rains, according to Meteorological Department officials. The maximum temperature at most places dropped slightly and hovered in the range of 30-34 degrees Celsius.





2:25 pm IST Rains disrupt power generation in Himachal Rains for over 48 hours in Himachal Pradesh have caused heavy silting and debris sliding from hills, which in turn has led to disruption in electricity generation. Operations at 1500 megawatt Nathpa Jhakri Hydel power project were shut down on late Thursday night after the silt level increased in turbulent Sutlej river . Silt-level in Sutlej river variate from 16,000 particles per million (ppm ) to 25000 ppm which is higher than the permissible limit 5,000 ppm. T Hydle project has its dam in Khab in Kinnaur while the power station was located in Jhakri near Shinmla district’s Rampur town. Operations had to be closed down to prevent damage to the machinery from silt “ said Sanjeev Sood Chief Engineer Head of Project, Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam limited that owns 1500 MW project . The project incurred a loss to tune of Rs 11 crore ( per day ) for remaining shut for day said he. The silt is abnormally high in Sutlej” he said.





2:21 pm IST Navy allows commercial aircraft operations from Kochi Naval air station “In view of prevailing situation, the Southern Naval Command of the Indian Navy is all geared up and ready to provide any assistance to the civil administration as and when required,” a Defence spokesman said, according to news agency PTI. He said the state government had requested the Navy to allow the Naval air station ‘Garuda’ for facilitating civil aircraft operations as the international airport suspended all operations till Sunday. “Navy is ready to facilitate commercial aircraft operations from the Naval air station,” the spokesman told PTI.





2:05 pm IST 80,000 evacuated in 24 hours in Karnataka In Karnataka, over 80,000 were evacuated in 24 hours ending 8 am Friday. In all, 1.24 lakh people have been evacuated across the state so far.





1:52 pm IST Centre has assured assistance to Karnataka: CM Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa on Friday said that the Centre has assured all possible assistance to the flood-hit districts of the state. “I am in constant touch with the Central government”, Yeddyurappa told reporters at Mudhol in Bagalkot district, where he interacted with the flood-affected people and later undertook an aerial survey. He said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have been briefed on the rescue and relief efforts in Karnataka.





1:45 pm IST Landslide in Kerala’s Malappuram, over 50 feared trapped There was a major landslide in Kerala’s Malappuram last night, over 50 people are feared trapped. Forces are yet to reach the site. Due to inclement weather air lifting is difficult, the Air Force has said.





1:20 pm IST No need to panic: Kerala CM Despite heavy rainfall in most parts of the state, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday assured the people that there was no need to panic. If one compares with the floods that took place the same time last year, this time it’s not that serious. As a government, we have taken every precaution and there need be no panic, but just be alert. The need of the hour is people should cooperate with the authorities, if they are asked to move out from places which are likely to turn dangerous, they must comply,” news agency PTI quoted Vijayan as saying.





1:00 pm IST Chopper to drop relief material in flood-hit Sangli Relief material in flood-hit Sangli district of Maharashtra, will be dropped by a helicopter that may also be used to evacuate stranded people, an official said on Friday as quoted by news agency PTI “We have received one chopper and its trial landing has been successfully conducted. We are now starting sorties to drop relief material in the affected areas. “The chopper may be used to evacuate people from the flood-hit areas,” said Abhijit Choudhary, district collector of Sangli.





12:35 am IST ‘We want to go home’: 500 people stranded in Kohlapur At least 500 passengers and eight buses were stranded in Kohlapur as several parts of Maharashtra witnessed heavy rainfall, news agency ANI reported. The area beyond the Kini village, where the passengers are currently stranded, has been receiving heavy showers for the last one week. Urging the government to rescue them, a woman named Anne Abraham, stranded on the road with her two children said, “We want to go home. It has been four days and no one has come to inquire about us. It is only because of the villagers, who have provided us with food and water, that we are alive,” reported news agency ANI.





12:29 am IST Bus services affected in Karnataka Bus services on several routes in Karnataka were cancelled due to heavy rainfall. Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) said that bus services between Mysuru to Madikeri and Mysuru to H D Kote Road routes were suspended keeping in mind passenger safety, reported news agency ANI. The NDRF has deployed several teams to carry out rescue operations in flood affected areas.





12:28 am IST Alappuzha-Thiruvananthapuram train services suspended In Kerala, Alappuzha-Thiruvananthapuram train services have been suspended owing to heavy rainfall.





12:25 pm IST Rain, thunderstorm likely in parts of Himachal today The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted light to moderate rainfall and thunderstorm in several parts of Himachal Pradesh. Light to moderate rain/thunderstorm may occur at Dharamshala, Mandi, Manali, Kullu, Bilaspur, Una, Palampur, Hamirpur, Solan, and Shimla, the IMD said in its bulletin.





12:01 pm IST Maharashtra CM conducts aerial survey Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis conducted an aerial survey flood affected districts and held a on review meeting in Kolhapur on Thursday, following which more central teams have been mobilised for rescue operations in the state. “The heavy rainfall even on Thursday made the rescue operation more difficult. It rained 142% of the average rainfall in five districts of Pune division, while it was 225% in Sangli alone. It has reduced in the last few hours and we expect it to help in faster evacuation of the stranded people,” an official from the divisional commissioner office said.





11:45 am IST ‘Life is precious’: Kerala CM “Life is precious”, said Kerala chief minister as he requested people to cooperate with ongoing rescue efforts in the state. During media briefing, the chief minister said that talk with Navy are on to use the Kochi naval base as temporary airport.





11:41 am IST 15 people rescued in Chhattisgarh Fifteen people were rescued from Gudra nullah at Bhairamgarh block in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Thursday, where they were stuck due to rainfall. They were returning from Barsur to Mangnar village in Dantewada when they got stuck in the flooded area





11:37 am IST 24 landslides reported in Kerala: CM While addressing the media, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that 24 landslides have been reported so far in the state.





1:33 am IST Kerala CM confirms 24 deaths After the review meet, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan addressed the media and confirmed that 24 people have died so far in disaster hit state. At least 350 relief camps have been opened so far, he said.





11:25 am IST PM has assured to provide assistance: Rahul Gandhi Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi has spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding assistance for people affected by floods and landslides in Kerala, especially in Wayanad, which is the worst-hit district. “The PM has assured to provide any assistance required to mitigate the effects of the disaster,” the Congress leader tweeted on Friday. Wayanad MP @RahulGandhi spoke to the Prime Minister seeking all possible assistance for the people severely affected by the floods and landslides in the state, especially in Wayanad. The PM has assured to provide any assistance required to mitigate the effects of the disaster. — Rahul Gandhi - Wayanad (@RGWayanadOffice) August 9, 2019





11:18 am IST Red alert in 8 Kerala districts The situation in flood-hit Kerala continues to be grim as weathermen has declared a red alert in eight districts. Rain is expected to continue for two more days.





11:15 am IST 40 people missing in Wayanad’s Puthumala, say locals In Wayanad’s Puthumala, which witnessed a major landslide on Thursday, local people said that more than 40 were people missing, while 30 injured have been shifted to a hospital. People are flocking to hospitals in search of their missing kin. Rescue operations were hampered due to bad weather conditions in the state.





11:10 am IST More Army deployed for rescue ops More units of army have been pressed into service in Kerala as many flood-affected areas in the state are still inaccessible.





11:05 am IST Kerala CM’s review meet underway Death doll in Kerala has gone up to 25, while Wayanad continues to be the worst-hit district. Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s review meet is underway.





11:00 am IST 12 Navy rescue teams in Maharashtra’s Sangli Twelve Navy rescue teams are being sent to the flood-hit Sangli district in Maharahstra, an official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. “These 12 Navy teams will be deployed today (Friday) in Sangli in addition to the teams already present in Kolhapur,” a defence spokesperson said in a statement.





10:40 pm IST Mother-daughter swept away by flood in Uttarakhand In Uttarakhand’s Chamoli, a woman and her seven-year-old daughter were swept away after a water from a rivulet flooded their house on Friday following heavy rains . The incident occurred in Faldia village of the district early on Friday. The district administration rushed rescue teams to the spot immediately but the mother-daughter duo is yet to be found, District Disaster Management officer NK Joshi was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.





10:30 am IST Death toll in Karnataka rises to 10 The death toll in Karnataka rains has climbed to 10. One more death has been reported in Belagavi, which takes the total toll from the district to seven.





10:15 am IST 27 dead, 2 lakh displaced in Maharashtra As heavy rains continue to batter several states in the country, at least 27 people died while 2.05 lakh people were displaced in Maharashtra on Thursday. Around to 30,000 to 35,000 stranded people are still stranded and awaiting rescue in Kolhapur and Sangli districts, the worst-affected districts in Maharashtra. Very heavy rainfall has been predicted for Friday as well.





10:00 am IST 9 dead in flood-affected Karnataka Nine people have died in the flood-affected Karnataka. Over 16,000 people and 3000 animals have been evacuated and shifted to 272 relief camps in the state, reported news agency ANI.





9:45 am IST 20,000 people evacuated As overflowing rivers and swollen dams have flooded several districts in Kerala amid heavy rains, over 20,000 people have been evacuated so far, revenue officials.





9:40 am IST Control rooms in all Kerala districts Control rooms in all districts of Kerala have been opened to assist people stranded in flood-hit areas. Wayanad is so far the worst-hit by rains, many people are still inaccessible in the district. State revenue minister E Chandrasekaran has said that more relief camps will be opened.





9:35 am IST Will reach out to PM Modi: Rahul Gandhi Rahul Gandhi’s parliamentary constituency Wayanad is the worst-hit by rains in Kerala. The Congress leader late Thursday tweeted that he would reach out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to brief him about the situation in the state and to request for assistance from the central government. “I’m monitoring the situation closely & have spoken to the Kerala CM and key Govt officials to expedite relief,” he tweeted. The flood situation in my parliamentary constituency, #Wayanad is grim. I’m monitoring the situation closely & have spoken to the Kerala CM and key Govt officials to expedite relief.



I will be reaching out to PM Modi as well to brief him & request Central Govt. assistance. pic.twitter.com/HWN8LXgE4h — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 8, 2019





9:30 am IST Kochi airport closed till Sunday Since there is respite from rain in Kerala, operations at Kochi airport have been suspended till 3pm on Sunday. Many landslides were reported in the state on Thursday, due to which many people are feared trapped.





9:25 am IST Schools, colleges closed In Kerala, all educational institutions have been ordered to remain shut as heavy rain continues to lash the state.



