India: South West Monsoon 2005 - Flood Situation Report 7 Jul 2005

A comprehensive status report on the flood situation in different parts of the country is given below:-
IMD

Yesterday's well marked low pressure area over southwest Uttar Pradesh and adjoining north Madhya Pradesh continue to move in a northwesterly direction and further weakened into a low pressure area over northeast Rajasthan and adjoining Haryana.

Under its influence widespread rains with isolated heavy falls are still likely over West Uttar Pradesh, East Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttranchal during next 24 hours. The current wet spell over northwest India and western Himalayan region is likely to decrease considerably after 8th July.

MADHYA PRADESH

1. Extent of Damage

i. No. and names of districts affected by floods: 09 - [(1) Sagar, (2) Katni, (3) Rewa, (4) Satna, (5) Jabalpur, (6) Damoh, (7) Narsinghpur, (8) Panna and (9) Chhattarpur]

(Two other districts viz. Umaria and Vidisha, have also been affected by heavy rains.)

ii. No. & Names of the districts severely affected: (2) -- Damoh and Panna.

iii. No. of villages affected: 358

iv. Villages marooned: 129

v. Villages submerged: 07

vi. Urban areas affected: 06

vii. Population affected: 12.00 lakh (9.5 lakh urban: 2.5 lakh rural)

viii. Loss of human lives: 37

ix. People missing: 15

2. Present Position:

Situation in Damoh and Panna districts remain serious as most of the areas are not fully accessible.

Ken river is overflowing and road links are snapped.

Situation is improving in Sagar and Chhatarpur districts.

3 Telecommunications:

Telecommunication link affected in all these 09 districts.

Telephone lines down in large parts of Sagar, Panna and Damoh districts.

4. Roads:

Many road links continue to be disrupted.

Most critical disruption is on Sagar-Jhansi Highway NH-26. The key bridge, 2 kms from Sagar town has been washed away, blocking movement on NH- 26, where a large number of trucks are stranded.

The State PWD is repairing the bridge and it is expected to be restored and opened for traffic within next 24 hours

5. Drinking water:

State Government is monitoring the supply of drinking water and ensuring that water is provided to the affected people, in the marooned villages in particular.

6. Relief & Rescue:

Relief materials air dropped in Sagar , Damoh and Panna districts.

Relief camps operational : 117

No. of people in relief camps: 24,539 [Panna: 10,400; Katni: 4,300; Satna: 2580; Jabalpur: 2000 etc.]

Rescue of marooned people in Panna and Damoh is the priority of the State Government.

7. Health Situation:

Medical Teams have been constituted in all affected districts to check possible spread of infectious water related diseases.

Medical camps have been set up in Rewa and Satna.

8. Army Assistance:

4 Army columns and 15 motor boats are deployed in Panna, Sagar, Damoh districts.

9. Air Force Assistance:

4 Helicopters deployed for relief and rescue operations in Damoh and Panna districts.

Air dropping in Panna district was undertaken on 06th July, 2005. However, it was stopped in the afternoon due to inclement weather.

10. Damage Assessment:

The State Government will make an assessment of damages only when the flood water recedes.

GUJARAT

1. Rainfall situation :

Average rainfall of the State -- 863 mm

Cumulative average rainfall -- 624 mm out of 863 mm (69% of the average)

No. of affected districts : 20 out of 25

No. of villages affected : 8000-10000

2. Rivers flowing at danger levels : Nil

3. Status of water level in dam (Total No): 69

No. of dams on high alert -- 39

No. of dams on alert -- 14

No. of dams at warning level -- 16

4. No. of Deaths reported : 202 (due to drowning, collapse of houses and lightning, etc.) 11 persons are reported missing.

5. Population evacuated : 2.98 lakh : Vadodara (99022), Bharuch (42717), Surat (33727), Navsari (33096), Anand (32694), Kheda (28941), Amreli (11525)

4 to 5 lakh affected persons have been sheltered by community & NGOs With the situation limping back to normalcy, the evacuated people have started returning to their homes.

6. Effect of Power Supply

Power supply still affected -- 74 out of 6717 villages

Power supply restored -- in all the 57 affected towns

No. of Feeders still affected - 22 out of 2403

No. of Distribution Transformers still affected - 350 out of 2197

7. Roads and Bridges:

Traffic on Expressway and National Highways restored.

No. of State Roads still affected 52 out of 262.

No. of Panchayats still affected 327 out of 1561.

No. of Bridges affected: one -- Raidi ( Amreli) -- Restoration work is going on.

(4690 skilled labourers and 87 JCBs, 363 dumpers/tractors are deployed for repair and restoration of roads)

8. Communications

Air Traffic is operating normally.

Rail traffic will be restored fully by 18th July, 2005.

Temporary restoration of roads is being completed on war footing.

9. Water Supply:

No. of regional water supply schemes affected: 294

No. of villages in which water supply is still affected: 773 out of 5752

No. of towns in which water supply is still affected: 01 out of 32

10. Rescue & Relief :

11 Air Force helicopters and all 10 columns of the army have been de-requisitioned by the State Government.

750 CRPF personnel deployed in Gujarat for relief and rescue operations have been de-requisitioned and placed at the disposal of DG, Gujarat for Rath Yatra bandobast.

11. Health Measures:

12. Carcasses disposal:

More than 200 Technical Teams are engaged for the disposal of carcasses. Services of Veterinary Colleges and Agricultural Universities are also taken for this purpose. 1252 carcasses have been disposed off so far.

13. Relief stocks:

Food packets, water pouches/bottles are still being distributed to the flood affected persons in Anand, Kheda (Nadiad), Ahmedabad (west), Ahmedabad (rural) and Vadodara. Community kitchens and Langars are functioning on a large scale to provide succour to the affected people. 210 MT of food packets and other material airdropped till date.

13,50,838 food packets, 12.36 lakh water bottles and pouches distributed in the affected areas.

14. Shelters/Temporary Accommodation: The State Government has focused its attention on providing temporary shelters to approximately 40, 000- 50, 000 affected families.

15. Damage assessment:

Survey work for assessment of damage has commenced in all the flood affected districts of Gujarat.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Heavy to very heavy rains have been reported in 6 districts (Simla, Kinnaur, Kulu, Bilaspur, Solan and Mandi). Number of villages affected 150.

Ravi and Beas and Sutlej rivers and their tributaries are flowing above their warning levels and the water level is rising. The present level in Sutlej river is 1010.04 mtr.

The river Pabbar in Simla district and Baspa river in Kinnaur district are in spate. 6 bridges and 600 metres of link road have been washed away. As a result Sangla valley and a few other villages in Kinnaur district have been cut off.

Flash floods occurred in Parbati and Tirthan rivers in Kullu district damaging 50 houses and business establishments, 15 cattle head, 8 bridges, 5 ropeways and various roads.

National Highway No. 21 between Manali and Mandi & NH No. 22 and State Highways are blocked. Steps are being taken to repair/restore the traffic.

Manali - Leh road is closed due to snowfall on Baralacha and Rohtang pass and there has been extensive damages to roads due to landslides. Many vehicles and tourists (including 70 foreigners) travelling to and from Ladakh are stranded in Sarchu and Barlacha areas.

No report of loss of life is received so far, however 10,000 people are affected.

Loss/Damage to Public and Private property is being estimated.

Preventive measures and relief operations have been initiated by the State Government.

Review Meeting taken by Home Secretary

Home Secretary reviewed the flood situation in, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh with all concerned Ministries/Departments in the meeting held on 07th July, 2005 at 1230 hrs. The gist of discussions and action taken by the Government of India are at Annexure.

JAMMU & KASHMIR

Heavy to very heavy rainfall and snowfall has been reported in the Kashmir Division.

River(s) Jhelum , Chenab and Tawi are flowing below their danger levels. However, the water levels in the rivers Chenab and Tawi are steadily rising and the district administration has been alerted to move all inhabitants on the banks of these rivers to safer places.

Flash floods have been reported in Kathua district in Ujh river -- a tributary of Ravi.. 20 people are stranded and a MI-17 helicopter has been deployed to rescue them.

10,000 people in 15 villages at Akhnoor in Jammu Division may have to be evacuated if the water in the river Chenab rises to the danger level.

MOD has been informed to contact the Chief Secretary for extending necessary assistance if required.

UTTARANCHAL

Moderate to heavy rainfall has been reported

All the rivers are flowing below danger level

Some tourists stranded near Sriganga river have been rescued by locals and ITBP personnel. Two sadhus stranded at Chalsani in Uttarkashi have also been rescued by the State Government.

UTTAR PRADESH

Light rainfall has been reported

The Ken river is flowing slightly above the danger level but the water level is receding

16000 people have been affected due to the floods in the past two days.

15300 people have been rescued by One column of Army and Two companies of PAC with 76 boats.

31 relief camps have been set up to provide relief for flood affected people

SIKKIM

Rainfall in the State for last 24 hours has been reported to be normal.

A landslide has been reported above Indira Bye Pass road below Gangtok town.

General :

The situation in the States/UTs of: (1) Andhra Pradesh, (2) Arunachal Pradesh, (3) Chattisgarh, (4) Goa, (5) Haryana, (6) Maharashtra, (7) Manipur, (8) Meghalaya, (9) Mizoram, (10) Nagaland, (11) Punjab, (12) Tamil Nadu, (13) Tripura, (15) Karnataka, (15) Orissa, (16) Andaman & Nicobar Islands, (17) Chandigarh, (18) Daman & Diu and Dadara Nagar Haveli (19) Lakshadweep and (20) NCT of Delhi is reported to be normal.

(Ashim Khurana )
Joint Secretary (DM)
Tel.No.23092456/Fax.No.23093465
Mobile.9810093411
e.mail: jsdm@mha.nic.in

Distribution:

1. Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister ( Shri T K A Nair)

2. Cabinet Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, Rashtrapati Bhawan

3. Private Secretary to the Prime Minister (Shri BVR Subrahmanyam).

4. Prime Minister's Office (Shri Sanjay Mitra, Joint Secretary).

5. Cabinet Secretariat (Shri Shatrughana Singh, Joint Secretary).

Copy to:-

1. PS to HM/PS to MOS( R ).

2. PS to HS/PPS to Secretary (BM)/JS (DM)/Director (PR)/DS (NDM.I)/IOC, MHA/Master Folder.

Gist of discussions of the meeting taken by Union Home Secretary on 7th July, 2005 at 1230 hours to review the flood situation in Gujarat Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh and action taken by the Government of India.

The Inter Ministerial review meeting on 7th July, 2005 at 1230 hours was conducted by Union Home Secretary to review the situation and relief measures mounted to meet the floods in the States of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.

2. The list of participants is annexed.

3. Principal Resident Commissioner, Government of Gujarat informed that the situation in the State is fast improving and gradually returning to normalcy. The focus is now on the health sector to prevent outbreak of any water borne and vector borne diseases and on providing temporary shelter/accommodation to affected people who have been rendered homeless. A total number of 1186 medical teams comprising of 467 medical officers, 2743 paramedics and other support staff are deployed and there are no reports of outbreak of any epidemic. Local teams have been constituted and working for disposal of carcasses. Supplies of anti malarial medicines and chlorine tablets have already reached the State. Supplies of antibiotics, bleaching powder (200 MT) and anti fungal ointments are being airlifted/being sent by road today. The additional demand of 500 MT sugar and 800 KL of Kerosene has been released and there is no pending demand. All National Highways are operational in the State. The restoration of Railway is in progress and it is expected that Valsad-Rangoli link will be restored today. The complete restoration of railways is expected by 18th July 2005. Out of 248 telephone exchanges affected in the floods, 241 have already been restored.

4. The Resident Commissioner, Government of Madhya Pradesh mentioned that situation in the districts of Damoh and Panna remained serious. The bridge near Sagar town which had been washed out is being repaired by filling up the span fully for temporary restoration and it is excepted that the traffic will be restored on the bridge within the next 24 hrs. Relief and rescue operations are continuing in the state.

5. The Resident Commissioner, Government of Himachal Pradesh informed that the rivers Sutlej, Beas and Ravi and their tributaries are in spate. Traffic has disrupted due to several breaches in the NH-21 and NH-22. The river Beas is flowing 3 to 4 ft. above the road level near Manali on NH-21. 03 Hydro electrical projects in the State viz Nathpa Jhakhri, Baspa and Chamera-II have been closed. There is immediate requirement of funds for relief, rescue and restoration works' and second installment of Central share of Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) amounting to Rs.37.76 crore may be released to the State immediately. An adhoc release of Rs.50 crore from National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF) may also be considered.

6. After detailed discussions the following points emerged:-

Madhya Pradesh

(i) As per IMD report, widespread rain with isolated heavy to very heavy falls are likely over west Madhya Pradesh, west Uttar Pradesh, east Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttranchal during the next 24 hrs.

(ii) The CWC reported that Ken river was still flowing at 113.28 m at 0800 hrs on 7th July 05 as against the danger level of 104 m. Other rivers in the region are flowing below their warning levels.

(iii) Water which was overflowing in Ken river at bridge on NH-75 has receded. Damage to bridge and approaches is being assessed and traffic is excepted to be restored shortly.

(iv) Four Air Force helicopters and four Army columns with 15 boats are deployed in the State and are required for continuance in relief and rescue operations in the State. It was reported that Amanganj town in Panna district which has a population of about 10,000-15,000 is completely submerged. Relief and rescue operations are required to be carried out immediately.

(vi) There is considerable improvement in restoration of telephone lines however, 40 telephone exchanges (Damoh-17, Sagar-11, Panna-09, Rewa-02, & Sidhi-01) are still not functional. Mobile telephone services are also affected. Other telephone exchanges in the affected districts are however operational. Technical manpower and necessary equipment have been mobilized and repair and restoration work of the affected exchanges is being undertaken in areas, where water levels have receded.

(vii) Medical Teams have been constituted by the State Government and adequate stocks of medicine are available for the present. There has been no report of an outbreak of any disease. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is deputing Public Health team with chloroscopes and is assessing the requirements of medicine, disinfectants etc.

(viii) There is comfortable stock of food grains and essential commodities. Adequate Supply of POL is being maintained and there is no additional demand made by the State Government.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

(i) IMD indicated that the rainfall in Himachal Pradesh is due to the depression over North East Madhya Pradesh which was well marked low over south west UP and moving in a north westerly direction. Under its influence Himachal Pradesh is also likely to receive widespread rains with isolated heavy to very heavy falls

(ii) It was reported by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways that there are reports of 03 breaches on NH-21 at Pandoh, at Kullu and at KM 285. The repair of breaches at Kullu and at KM 285 is under progress and it is expected that the traffic will be restored soon. The repair at Pandoh could not be undertaken as water is flowing 4-5 ft above the road level. The necessary equipments and technical manpower has already been mobilized by State PWD and repair will be undertaken as soon as the water level recedes. It has been confirmed that NH-22 is operational upto KM 335. The Border Road Organisation (BRO) is responsible for maintenance of NH-22 beyond KM 335. MoD was requested to take up the matter with BRO for undertaking immediate repair of NH-22 and restoration of traffic on the above road.

(iii) 01 BSF helicopter has been placed at the disposal of the State Government for relief and rescue operations. The State Government has requested for 01 additional helicopter. Air Force has to assess the requirement and provide necessary support if required.

(iv) The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reported that Kinnaur Valley is cut off but the State level Medical teams sent earlier are present in the Valley. Further 17 additional medical teams have been constituted by the State Government. There are no report of outbreak of any disease and an assessment is being made by the State Government for additional requirement of medicines which will be supplied by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. A Public Health Team would also be deputed when required.

(v) 03 Hydro Electric Power Projects in the State viz Nathpa Jhakhri, Baspa and Chamera-II have been rendered non-operational due to heavy siltation caused by rains/floods. The Ministry of Power and National Hydro Electric Power Corporation are required to undertake necessary steps for early restoration of the power projects in the State after the water level recedes.

4. The Ministry of Defence was sensitized about the reported flood position in the State of J&K and was requested to a stock of the prevailing situation in the State. It was decided that the situation in Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh will again be reviewed on 8th July, 2005 at 1230 hours in the Ministry of Home Affairs.

5. The meeting concluded with thanks to the Chair.