Mumbai/Ahmedabad: Heavy rain continued to lash Maharashtra on Wednesday, even as the flood situation worsened in Surat, Gujarat, with the discharge of more water from the Ukai dam.

A Maharashtra Government spokesperson said 118 persons died and 79 were reported missing in flood-related incidents in the State. Over 3.5 lakh people have been evacuated from flood-hit areas.

Torrential rains lashed Nashik, Jalgaon, Amravati and Pune districts for the fifth day. The Godavari, the Krishna and the Koyna were in spate and 300 people were marooned in different parts of Nashik, officials said.

Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, along with Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil, made an aerial survey of the affected districts.

Officials in Gujarat's flood control department said the whole of Surat was under water.

Over 5,000 people were rescued by the Army, SRPF, CRPF and the Surat Fire Brigade. Twelve helicopters were engaged in relief work. Meanwhile, energy majors Reliance and ONGC are hoping to restart operations at their plants located in the flooded Hazira gas complex in Gujarat, which remained shut since Tuesday morning.

ONGC is hoping to restart gas supplies in a couple of days, once water begins receding from the complex.

Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Ltd on Wednesday temporarily shut down some of its plants at the Baroda Complex due to heavy rains in the region.

Flood warning likely

In Andhra Pradesh, the Godavari, though receding, was still flowing above the danger-level at Dowleswaram in East Godavari district. Villages along the Krishna are likely to face a threat again as four lakh cusecs of water is being discharged from the Nagarjuna Sagar project in Nalgonda district to the Prakasam Barrage in Krishna district. The Centre has announced an aid package of Rs. 200 crore for the State after Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Congress president Sonia Gandhi toured the flood-hit areas.

Grim situation in Karnataka

The flood situation in Karnataka was grim with the level in the Bhima river crossing the danger mark for a second time in a month and the Krishna and its tributaries in spate.

In Chhattisgarh's Dantewara district, the Shabri river was still flowing above the danger mark, though the rains have stopped. The number of flood-related deaths has touched 11. — UNI, PTI

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