Floods have wreaked havoc in the states of Maharashtra,Kerala, Karnataka and Gujarat, claiming at least 162 lives and displacinglakhs. The Ministry of Home Affairs held a high-level meeting on the floodsituation, preparedness, rescue and relief operations in these states.

In Maharashtra alone, 30 people have died in a week. Severalparts of Satara, Sangli, and Kolhapur continued to be submerged on Saturday.Release of water from Karnataka's Almatti dam has not yet eased the floodsituation in the three districts. The heavy rainfalls have ceased, yet thewater level in the main river and the city continued did not come down. Rescueand relief operations are still underway. National Disaster Response Force(NDRF), Navy, Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard are on round-the-clock deploymentto aid the rescue efforts.

The NDRF Friday rescued about 10,000 people from twoflood-affected districts – about 8000 people from Sangli district and about2000 people from Kolhapur district. About 40,000 trucks are still stuck on thenational highway. Nearly 2,52,813 people have been rescued tweeted theMaharashtra Chief Ministers Office. “Rs 154 crore given to respectivecollectors for immediate assistance to flood affected persons, 70 medical teamsare working to provide healthcare. Sufficient stock of anti-venom &leptospirosis drugs. 40 teams constituted constituted for restoration of powersupply,” it added. In Gujarat, 98 persons have died due to floods andtorrential rains this season. Incessant rains lashed across state's 251 tehsilsover the last 24 hour. The highest rainfall of 15 inches was recorded inBarwala of Botad district. The entire state has received an overall of 3 to 15inches of rain. In the last 12 hours, two buildings collapsed due to incessantrains claimed 10 lives. At least four died after a three-storey apartmentbuilding collapsed in Nadiad's Pragatinagar in Gujarat's Kheda district on lateFriday night. Four persons died in another building collapse in Ahmedabad. InSurat, mother-son duo was electrocuted to death. Earlier, 88 deaths wererecorded in the state due to rain and flood related incidents.

In Kerala, around 28 people died and 27 others sustainedinjuries following incessant rains and overflowing of rivers in several partsof the state. A statement from the Chief Minister Office (CMO) said,"Statewide 28 people have lost their lives and other 27 have sustainedinjuries following the heavy rains causing a flood-like situation in the state.So far seven persons went missing," reported news agency ANI. Kerala ChiefMinister Pinarayi Vijayan held a review meeting of the disaster managementactivities. So far 22,165 people have been evacuated to safety and are lodgedin 315 camps across the state, informed the Kerala State Disaster ManagementAuthority (KDSMA). Rescue operations are underway by the National DisasterRelief Force (NDRF), Army and the local police.

In Karnataka, at least six people lost their lives inBelgaum district, as incessant rains continue to wreak havoc. All schools,colleges and educational institutes have been ordered shut till August 15 inDakshina Kannada, Uttar Kannada, Raichur, Bagalkot, Belagavi, Chikkodi,Shivamogga, Bidar, Haveri, Kodagu, Koppal, Yadgir, Kalaburgi, Dharwad, Ballari,Hassan, Udupi, and Gadag districts.