Torrential rains set off by the northeast monsoon continued to batter Tamil Nadu and Karnataka killing 39 people as the flood situation in the two states remained grim Tuesday parlaysing normal life in IT hub Bangalore and sending Cauvery and other rivers in spate.
There would be no let up for the two southern states as weathermen forecast more heavy rains in the next two to three days.
In West Bengal, which is also in the monsoon's path, 13 people lost their lives in heavy rains which affected people in seven districts of the state.
As reports of more rain-related deaths came in from interior parts of Tamil Nadu, the death toll since the onset of the monsoon on October 12 has risen to 37 and in Bangalore, buffetted by incessant rains for the fourth day, two persons
were washed away.
Bangalore registered a record rainfall of 52.5 cm up to 2 pm Tuesday for October, breaking a 50-year-old high of 52.2 cm as several layouts, including posh ones, in southern parts of the city where several IT firms are located were marooned and civic authorities were facing an uphill task to evacuate the affected persons to safer places.
As low pressure persisted over the southwest and adjoining Bay of Bengal, the weather office forecast heavy to very heavy rains in Tamil Nadu during the next 48 hours and incessant rains for another three days in Bangalore.
Cauvery in Tamil Nadu was in spate in the delta districts with the heavy discharge from Mettur dam reaching these areas Tuesday.
With railway tracks on the Bangalore-Jolarpet section being submerged at some places, Southern Railways cancelled the Chennai-Mysore Cauvery Express and diverted the Bangalore Mail for the day via Dharmapuri and Salem.
Official sources in Chennai said, with the flood situation remaining grim, people living on the river banks in various parts of the state have been moved to safer places.
Chennai and its suburbs have been experiencing intermittent rains and several low lying areas are inundated.
However, life was not affected in the city with buses and trains operating as usual.
Chennai experienced heavy rains since Monday night and most schools were closed for the day.
A Tiruchirapalli report, quoting District Collector N Nandakishore, said the historic Ammanmandapam bathing ghat at Srirganam was closed for public use Tuesday as the water level went up beyond the danger mark.
Residents of the low lying areas in the city were asked to move to safer places after river water entered the colonies.
A Kolkata report said the floods, triggered by week-long rains, claimed 13 lives and affected 30 lakh people in seven West Bengal districts with situation in the worst-hit east and west Midnapore districts continuing to be grim Tuesday.
East Midnapore bore the brunt of the floods that claimed six lives, followed by five in south 24-Parganas, one each in west Midnapore and Howrah, Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta said.
Meanwhile, resumption of flights from Visakhapatnam airport in Andhra Pradesh was delayed even as water from the runway was receeding, according to Poornachandera Rao, a senior airport official.
The runway was inundated on Sunday for the second time in a week following discharge of water from Maghadrigedda reservoir due to excessive rain.
All flights of Indian Airlines, Air Sahara and Deccan airways operating from the airport have been suspended following inundation of the runway, which has remained submerged since October 14.
