[caption id="attachment_264097" align="aligncenter" width="600"]
A view of the waterlogged LBS road after the water level of Mithi river rose due to incessant monsoon rains, in Mumbai on Sunday. (PTI)[/caption]
Amaravati, Aug. 4 (PTI): A total of 74,068 people was affected by the floods in river Godavari, and 17,632 were shifted to relief camps.
The heavy flood battered at least six mandals in East and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh.
The second warning signal issued at Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage at Dowaleswaram continued as 13.58 lakh cusecs of floodwaters flowed in.
About 7,500 cusecs of this was being let out into the delta canals and the rest into Bay of Bengal.
No casualties have been reported in the flood-hit areas as teams of National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force reached out to the affected areas with essential supplies and food.
Power supply remained cut off while road communication network was also badly damaged in the two districts, according to the State Disaster Management Authority.
As per preliminary estimate, damages to roads and other infrastructure were to the tune of Rs 6.45 crore.
In all, people in 280 villages in West and East Godavari districts were facing the brunt of the flood fury, according to the authority.
The impact was more on East Godavari where 52,500 people were affected.
The famous Goshpada Kshetram on the banks of Godavari at Kovvuru was inundated, following which temples here were closed.
The water-level touched 29 metres at Polavaram dam construction site, but all access to the project remained cut off as the main approach Kademma sluice bridge submerged.
For the fifth consecutive day, island villages under Devipatnam mandal of East Godavari district remained in darkness as power supply was cut off.
Consequently, 17,632 persons were shifted to relief camps.
The Yedduvagu and Siddaramvagu bridges in West Godavari district remain submerged, cutting off transportation to villages in the region.
All required measures have been taken by the Collectors of these two districts and the situation is under control, the authority said in a press release.
5 dead in Maharashtra rains, schools to be shut
At least five persons were killed in Mumbai and Satara as rains continued to clobber large parts of Maharashtra, especially the coastal Konkan region, on Sunday, hitting train services badly.
IAF helicopters rescued 58 people in Thane and boats were deployed to rescue around 400 people stranded in Mumbai suburbs, officials said.
Following incessant overnight rains, water seeped into many homes in Kranti Nagar, Indira Nagar, Jarimari, Shankarnagar and Bail-bazar areas of Kurla suburb and two teams of the NDRF deployed rubber boats to rescue around 400 residents stranded there.
The Indian Air Force deployed a MI-17 helicopter to rescue 58 villagers, including 18 children, from Ju village in neigbouring Thane as they were stranded in rising flood waters.
In another operation, the IAF chopper flew to rescue 15 marooned villagers in Buranda (Palghar) but returned as it could not locate them due to heavy rain and poor visibility.
In some villages in Pen of Raigad district, around 60 people, stuck in five-six feet deep water since 4 a.m. on Sunday, were rescued by NDRF teams in boats and similarly 40 saved from marooned Mori village in Palghar this afternoon.
Most schools and college in Mumbai, Thane, Ratnagiri and Pune have declared a holiday on Monday in view of continuing rains, local officials said.
Meanwhile, Western Railway (WR) services between Vasai-Virar were suspended for several hours as the tracks were flooded, before resuming at reduced speeds after 2.35 p.m.
Even Central Railway (CR) services were hit in some sectors like Kurla-Sion due to waterlogging on tracks, breaches in railway lines, and landslides on outstation routes, while its suburban Harbour Line was paralysed.
Owing to boulders falling on railway tracks, the CR cancelled 18 trains, diverted three services and short-terminated seven long-distance trains at various points. Trains like the Nagpur-Mumbai Duronto Express were stuck at Igatpuri since 4 a.m.
Thousands of outstation passengers were stranded at various stations in Mumbai, Thane and Palghar as the train services were disrupted, while hundreds more were stuck in incoming trains that have been halted at various locations en route.
Mumbai experienced a 4.86 metres high tide at 2.29 p.m., and the combined effect of the existing waterlogging and continuing rains, led to homes in many parts of the suburbs experiencing fresh flooding this afternoon.
The Indian Air Force on Sunday airlifted 45 persons stranded in their flood-hit village in Navsari district in south Gujarat, said officials.
Over 5,000 people were shifted from low-lying areas in Navsari district since early Sunday morning due to surge in water levels of Ambika and Purna rivers due to heavy rains, Navsari Collector M D Modiya said.
"Forty-five people were stranded at a prawn farm in Mendhar village due to the rise in the water level of Ambika river owing to heavy rains. They were airlifted by the IAF helicopters and taken to Surat airport," he said.
Two IAF helicopters rescued 31 village residents in the first round, while another chopper rescued 14 stranded more villagers in the next round, said Modiya, adding the rescued people were flown to Surat, from where they would be brought back.
Waghai taluka in Dangs district received over 340 mm rainfall between Saturday and Sunday, causing water levels in both Ambika and Purna rivers passing through the district to breach the danger mark, officials said.
Several areas in Navsari district have been waterlogged with over a dozen villages being badly affected, they added.
