Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday assured Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy of help in the rescue and relief operations in the flood-hit Kodagu district, said an official statement.

“Modi called up Kumaraswamy and assured him of all help in rescue and relief operations in flood-hit Kodagu district,” said the statement from the Chief Minister’s camp office at Madikeri, about 270 km from Bengaluru.

Kumaraswamy, who has been camping in the district since Saturday to supervise the operations, briefed Modi on the flood situation in the rain-hit district and how the Army, Navy and National Disaster Response Force were coordinating the efforts.

Modi earlier tweeted that he spoke to Kumaraswamy from New Delhi on the flood situation in the affected district.

“Extended all possible support in the rescue and relief operations. I pray for the safety and well-being of those in the flood affected areas,” the Prime Minister said in a tweet.

Kumaraswamy also briefed President Ram Nath Kovind on the rescue work in the district when the latter called on him from New Delhi earlier in the day.

“The Chief Minister informed the President that the Indian Army, Navy and other state and central agencies have rescued over 3,500 people so far,” the statement noted.

Around 4,225 marooned people were rescued till Sunday evening from towns and villages across the district despite incessant rains hampering the operation.

Of the rescued, 3,601 are staying in 36 relief shelters in the district and efforts were on to reach others stranded on hilltops.

Located in the southern Western Ghats mountain range, the coffee-growing district is the worst-hit by the monsoon rains since June’s first week.

The incessant rains have caused flooding and landslips across the region, damaging the arterial roads.

More than a dozen helicopters, hundreds of defence personnel, NDRF teams and ordinary fishermen with their motor boats on Friday launched a massive rescue operation in Kerala as rains subsided but the death toll touched 164 in 10 days.

Six more deaths were reported on Friday. Although the intensity of rains decreased in several districts since Friday morning, waters from the big dams in Idukki district continued to be let out, keeping 13 districts in red alert, except for Kasargode.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the media on Friday that situation continues to be grave.

“The only good news is that rains have come down in certain areas of the state and we are planning to rescue all those who are waiting preferably by the end of this day.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the flood situation with Vijayan over the phone earlier in the day and said he would be heading to the state Friday later to take stock of the situation.

Since August 8, 164 people have died, while 2.23 lakh people are put up in 1,568 relief camps across the state.

“The worst affected districts include Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Thrissur, where 52,856 families have been affected,” Vijayan said after a review meeting.

He said 11 more helicopters will join the present fleet of 14 that have already been carrying out rescue and relief operations.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman sanctioned the extra chopperrs, as people marooned in Chengannur and Chalakudy can only be rescued by air.

As of Friday, 16 Army, 28 Coast Guard, 39 NDRF and 42 Navy teams were engaged in the rescue operations, while another 14 more National Disaster Response Force teams would reach Kerala during the day, said Vijayan.

Waters in Idukki and Wayanad areas and certain areas of Pathanathitta have receded, he said.

“One big problem that the rescue teams are facing is that some people are unwilling to move to relief camps. This is not good for their own safety,” Vijayan added.

Many people, especially in the Kuttanadu area, have refused to move to the camps, Finance Minister Thomas Issac said.

Rising waters though forced them to submit to the authorities’ request. Few of the big houseboats were used in areas where there are no narrow waterways.

Waters from the Periyar river and its tributaries kept many towns in Ernakulam and Thrissur submerged. The worst affected include Paravur, Kalady, Chalakudy, Perumbavoor and Muvatupuzha.

“We have no food and there are 150 people waiting to be rescued,” said a group of people who send a video clip to the TV channels from Chalakudy.

Thousands of people are still perched on high rise buildings waiting to be rescued and taken to relief camps. Over 50,000 people are lodged in the Ernakulam and Thrissur camps alone.

The central district of Pathanamthitta is facing its worst ever calamity as the overflowing Pamba river has inundated several towns. Ranni, Kozhenchery are completely submerged.

Hundreds of experienced fishermen from the coastal villages of the state capital arrived at Pathanamthitta and started rescue operations as the helicopters began airlifting people to safer places.

Aluva legislator Anwar Sadat said shortage of fuel was hampering rescues as the only mode of transport to be used is the boat.

“Things are very bad. Aluva is completely marooned. People have no food or water. Our only solace is the numerous fishermen who are rescuing us.

“But now even their families are asking them to return. More defence personnel are required, also they are more competent and the process will gain speed,” said Sadat pleading for help.

On Friday, the Achenkovil river started overflowing into Pandalam town.

Helicopters loaded with food packets left the state capital and headed to the central districts as the number of displaced people crossed lakhs.

The authorities in the worst affected districts have taken over big lorries that can best navigate through the flooded roads to reach people marooned in small pockets. More boats will also be taken from people to aid in the operations, Isaac said.

The Met has forecast less rains in the next 24 hours till Saturday, which should bring some relief.

Rescue operations are progressing well in Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad. The latter two districts have put up over 20,000 camps.

Major national and state highways, as well as the rail traffic, continued to be disrupted in various parts of the state.

Railway operations between Ernakulam and Thrissur are suspended; the Alappuzha sector is open to Thiruvananthapuram but the Kottayam sector is closed.

Some long distance trains were being diverted via the Nagercoil sector.

Kerala is facing the heaviest rains and floods witnessed in the state since 1924 which by now have caused massive destruction with damages to crops and properties estimated to be thousands of crores.

Expressing grave concern over the flood “crises” in Kerala, the Supreme Court on Friday suggested that the Disaster Management sub-committee, National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) and the court-appointed committee should meet to explore the possibility of reducing the water level in the Mullaperiyar Dam reservoir there to 139 feet.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said: “We are not experts. We are leaving it to the committee… to bring down the water level to 139 feet from 142 feet at the Mullaperiyar Dam”, as the Centre informed it that the sub-committee has decided to reduce the water level by releasing it.

The bench asked for measures to be in place to see to it that inhabitants downstream were safe before the release of water from the dam.

The court said the idea was to resolve the “calamity, rescue and rehabilitate people” caught in a flood.

The bench also asked the Kerala Chief Secretary to file an affidavit on what steps were being taken for disaster management, rescue and rehabilitation of those affected.

The Kerala death toll touched 164 on Friday after incessant rains began there on August 8. A total of 2.23 lakh people have been shifted to relief camps, while thousands still waited to be rescued.

Situation of Kerala flood is being monitored on a “minute-by-minute” basis, Additional Solicitor General P.S. Narasimha told the top court on the Centre’s behalf.

The bench asked Tamil Nadu to “scrupulously” comply with instructions to bring down the water level in the dam.

It then posted the matter for next hearing on August 24.

The court was hearing a PIL filed seeking directions for management of water in the Mullaperiyar Dam reservoir and announcement of a disaster management plan in relation to the dam.

The petition was filed by a Kerala resident Russel Joy who also sought direction for Tamil Nadu to ensure proper management of water release from the dam, so that no harm is caused to people living downstream.

Kerala is facing the heaviest rains and floods witnessed in the state since 1924 which by now have caused massive destruction with damages to crops and properties estimated to be thousands of crores.

With heavy rains upto 25 cm lashing coastal and south interior districts of Karnataka, the state is working to shift people stranded in flood-hit regions, an official statement said on Thursday.

“Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has discussed with the Air Force officials to rescue people stranded in the districts of Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Hassan, Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru and shift them to safety,” a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office said.

People living in Hattihole in Kodagu district, about 270 km southwest of here, which has been receiving very heavy rains, will be shifted to safer places soon, the statement said.

“The Chief Minister has directed the district officials to respond to people affected by the rains and open safety shelters if required,” it added.

Over the last 24 hours, parts of Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada districts received extremely heavy rains measuring beyond 24 cm, according to a weather advisory from the Bengaluru division of India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Coastal districts of Udupi received heavy rains upto 11 cm, Uttara Kannada 17 cm, south interior districts of Shivamogga 20 cm and Chikkamagaluru 6 cm.

Districts in the northern part of the state, which have been facing a rainfall deficit, have also received light to moderate rainfall.

Due to the heavy rains, landslides were reported since early this week in several parts of the state, particularly on the Bengaluru-Mangaluru route, leading to several state-run buses and trains suspending their services on rain-affected routes.

The state-run Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has suspended its operations from Bengaluru towards Mangaluru and Kerala, due to landslides, heavy rains and flooded roads, a statement said.

A total of six trains including Karwar-Yesvantpur Express, Yesvantpur-Mangalore Junction Express, were partially cancelled and a few other trains were diverted since Tuesday due to the landslides, the South Western Railway said in a statement.

With the state’s reservoirs in the Cauvery basin being filled to their maximum capacity during bountiful rains over the last two months, the incessant rains have been causing the rivers to overflow.

In the Cauvery basin, water from the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) reservoir across Cauvery river in Mandya district, Kabini reservoir in Mysuru districtAacross Kabini river, one of the major tributaries of Cauvery, is being released over the past few days, flooding the nearby towns and villages.

Over 1.2 lakh cusecs of rainwater was released as of Wednesday evening from KRS reservoir, 50,000 cusecs from Kabini reservoir, 15,000 cusecs from Harangi reservoir across Harangi river (tributary of Cauvery) in Kodagu district and 12,000 cusecs from Hemavati reservoir across Hemavati river (tributary of Cauvery) in Hassan district, officials said.

The Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority has warned the coastal and south interior districts to be braced for heavy rains for the next four days.

District officials in coastal and southern part of the state have formed teams prepared with lifejackets, boats and other equipment to undertake rescue operations when required.

Due to high waves and heavy winds, the IMD has asked the fishermen to avoid venturing into the Arabian Sea.

“Fishermen are advised not to venture into the Arabian sea over Karnataka coast, north Kerala coastal and over Lakshwadeep area,” it said.

Thousands of flood-affected people in Kerala — mostly in Pathanamthitta and parts of Ernakulam and Thrissur — have been stranded as rescuers battle heavy rains to reach out to them even as the death toll in the unprecedented floods rose to 88 on Thursday.

Reports said hundreds of people are perched on the roofs of their houses in the worst-hit southern district of Pathanamthitta, where attempts to airlift the marooned families have failed.

“My 90-year-old mother-in-law, a sister-in-law who is a cancer patient, and other relatives are living in a precarious condition as water is rising not just outside their home near Thiruvalla but inside, too,” a relative told IANS.

“When we spoke to the authorities there, they said they are helpless as boats are not available,” he said.

CPI-M legislator from Chengannur Saji Cherian said: “Hundreds of people are eagerly waiting to be evacuated and the only way out is airlifting. Unless things move fast, this could turn out to be very serious.”

TV channels in the state are showing live pictures of people crying for help.

“We are standing on the terrace of our two-storied building near Chengannur and we are being told since last evening that we will be rescued soon. If help does not reach us in an hour’s time, we may not be alive, as water level is rising menacingly” is how a family reacted on a TV channel on Thursday.

Similar scenes are being shown from Aluva and Chalakudy in central Kerala, after the dam waters from the Idukki district reached the Periyar river and its tributaries.

Rahul R. Nair, Ernakulam Rural Superintendent of Police, said hundreds of people need help. “Shortage of boats is the biggest problem,” said Nair.

The National Highway from Ernakulam to Thrissur is also choked as water has now flooded the main roads in many areas.

“We have been stuck on the road for hours now and we are going to Chennai for the marriage of our cousin sister. The prospective bride is in the vehicle. We do not know how we will reach there,” said an anxious relative of the bride.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said with time running out, the need of the hour is larger deployment of Army rescuers.

With the coastal and other districts of Karnataka receiving heavy rain a flood alert has been sounded in the southern state, officials said on Wednesday, August 15.

According to the State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, coastal Udupi district received up to 35.7 cm rain in certain parts over the past 24 hours.

Other coastal districts like Dakshina Kannada received 33.8 cm rain, Uttara Kannada 33.6 cm, south interior districts of Kodagu 28.8 cm, Chikkamagaluru 25.1 cm, Hassan 24.5 cm and Shivamogga 33.6 cm.

“Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy directed Deputy Commissioners of Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga districts, which are receiving heavy rain over the last few days, to be prepared to take up relief work,” a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office said.

He also directed officials to visit the affected districts and assess the losses.

The northern parts of the state also received light to moderate rainfall.

The Chief Minister ordered preventive steps to avoid mishaps and inconvenience to the public due to floods and landslides.

Due to the heavy rain, landslides were reported since Monday in several parts of Karnataka, particularly on the Bengaluru-Mangaluru route, leading to suspension of services of several state-run buses and trains since Tuesday night.

Landslides were reported in Sakleshpur sub-district in the Western Ghats mountains in Hassan district, obstructing vehicular movement from Bengaluru to Mangaluru.

Six trains, including the Karwar-Yeshwanthpur Express and the Yeshwanthpur-Mangalore Junction Express, were partially cancelled and a few other trains diverted since Tuesday evening due to the landslides, the South Western Railway said in a statement.

“All premium bus services from Bengaluru towards Mangaluru, Dharmasthala (in Dakshina Kannada district), and Kundapura (in Udupi district) have been cancelled due to landslides owing to heavy rain,” the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation said.

With the state’s reservoirs in the Cauvery basin filled to capacity due to the bountiful rains over two months, the incessant rains now are causing rivers to overflow.

In the Cauvery basin, water from the Krishna Raja Sagara reservoir across the Cauvery river in Mandya district, Kabini reservoir in Mysuru district across Kabini river, one of the major tributaries of Cauvery, is being released over the past few days, flooding nearby towns and villages.

“About 1.2 lakh cusecs of rainwater was released from the KRS reservoir and another 50,000 cusecs from the Kabini reservoir as of 6 p.m. on Wednesday,” Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G. Shankar told IANS.

The released water has been flooding several farmlands and roads in the villages and towns around the reservoirs.

Due to high waves and heavy winds, the Bengaluru division of India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its weather advisory asked the fishermen to avoid venturing into the Arabian Sea.

The heavy rain in the coastal and south interior districts will continue for the next couple of days, the IMD said.

Nature lovers were thrilled as India’s first Humboldt Penguin chick was hatched at the Mumbai Zoo, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officially announced here on Thursday.

“The Humboldt Penguin chick hatched at 8.02 p.m. on August 15. It appeared to be active and the mother Flipper was tring to feed it too,” confirmed the Zoo Director in-charge Sanjay Tripathi.

After mating in captivity, the Penguin pair Mr. Molt and Flipper, finally delivered an egg in July at the Veer Jijabai Bhonsale Udyan, or Mumbai Zoo.

While Mr Molt is the youngest male, Flipper is the oldest female in the zoo’s penguin colony which attracts hordes of excited visitors daily.

As an anxious team of zoo caretakers, vets and others kept vigil for nearly 40 days, the egg was finally hatched late on Wednesday and the small fluffy chick struggled out to freedom in the nest inside the special chilled enclosure where all the penguins have been kept.

The special enclosure is spread across 1,700 sqft where an average temperature of 16-18 degrees is maintained, the water quality is regularly tracked and the Penguins are fed on fish, including Indian Mackerals.

Eight Humboldt Penguins – later named as Dory, Donald, Daisy, Popeye, Olive, Bubble, Flipper and Mr Molt — were imported here from a South Korea zoo on July 26, 2016.

However, one female, Dory could not survive and died on October 23 following a bacterial infection during the period of acclimatisation before they went on public display, and have been the top attraction of the Mumbai Zoo.

With rains still pouring down heavily leading to flooding across Kerala, 12 fresh deaths were reported on Thursday, taking the toll to 79, since August 8. More rains were forecast till Saturday.

Entire Kerala has been on a red alert since Wednesday evening. A total of 28 deaths were reported on the day.

Pathanamthitta district in central Kerala has been the worst affected in the last 24 hours as thousands of people — students among others were trapped in their homes in Ranni, Aranmula and Kozhencherry.

Various media Whats App groups, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s have been flooded with SOS messages from Pathanamthitta crying for help.

Fishing boats from Kollam reached the flooded areas as the rescue operation with the aid of defence personnel continued.

Traffic on the national highway between Ernakulam and Thrissur has been regulated since.

Train operations between Ernakulam and Angamaly have also been stopped and at Thiruvananthapuram railway station tickets are not being issued.

All educational institutions were closed on Thursday. Situation in the capital district on Thursday improved as there were less rains. Water logging in low lying areas also receded.

The deaths on Thursday were reported from Malappuram, Kozhikode, Palakkad and Thrissur.

Parts of Ernakulam and Thrissur have been facing tough times with the dam waters from Idukki districts reaching Periyar, and its tributaries late on Wednesday.

In a first, the sluices of 33 dams across Kerala were opened on Tuesday, following incessant rains since late that day as the Met forecast more till Saturday.

The famed tourist destination in Munnar though continued to be in a bad shape, an official said.

The Sabarimala temple continued to be cut off by the river Pamba in spate.

The hilly district of Wayanad connected from Kannur and Kozhikode through a hill highway was badly hit with the overflowing Banasura Sagar dam waters creating havoc. Several landslides were reported in the area.

In Wayanad alone, more than 20,000 people have been put up in relief camps, authorities said.

The Cochin International airport was closed on Wednesday till Saturday as the Periyar river waters entered the operational area.

The airport authorities are worried about the flooding of the Rs 60-crore solar power plant — one of the biggest in an airport spread over 45 acres. They fear about its working again.

The defence forces and disaster response teams have been putting up makeshift bridges and clearing roads in the affected areas in Kozhikode, Wayanad, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Idukki and Kannur districts.

The heaviest rains and floods since 1924 have caused massive destruction, leaving more than 75,000 people in relief camps and damage to crops and properties that the state estimated t

Pramod Kumar Katara began his ‘cycle yatra’ early on Wednesday from the iconic Taj Mahal to India Gate in New Delhi to focus attention on the polluted Yamuna river.

“This time it is not just for a record but to draw the attention of the government to the polluted Yamuna. If the Taj is to be protected for posterity, Yamuna will have to be saved too,” the 53-year-old said.

The record for long distance cycling with the national tricolour is for the Limca Book of Records, he added.

“Already I have 21 records in my name, from Swiss ball balancing to yoga, but this one is going to be special for Yamuna,” Katara said.

Katara said he hoped to reach India Gate, a World War I monument in the heart of Delhi, by Wednesday evening via the Yamuna Expressway, covering the distance in around 12 hours.

Members of the River Connect Campaign collected at the Mehtab bagh to cheer Katara.