Karnataka increases water discharge from Almatti dam
Mumbai: Karnataka has so far discharged 4.50 lakh cusecs water from the Almatti dam, a move which is expected to ease flood situation in Kolhapur and Sangli districts of Maharashtra.
An official in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) here said at present the discharge from the dam on the Krishna river in Bijapur district of neighbouring Karnataka was 4,50,000 cusecs (cubic foot per second).
The discharge from the dam was 4,30,352 cusecs at 10 am on Friday which was later raised to 4,50,000, he said.
The official said by Friday evening, the discharge would be 5 lakh cusecs as demanded by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis from his Karnataka counterpart B S Yediyurappa.
Fadnavis had said on Thursday that he had requested his Karnataka counterpart to discharge 5 lakh cusecs, a demand which he has agreed to.
The CM had said discharge from the Almatti dam will result in drop in water level in Kolhapur and Sangli district in western Maharashtra. Meanwhile, Fadnavis on Friday briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the flood situation in the state.
A statement from the CMO said the Prime Minister took detailed information on the situation, rescue and relief measures and assured all assistance from the Centre.
An Indian Air Force helicopter has landed in Sangli, where it will be deployed to distribute relief material, the statement said. A total of 34 teams are working in Kolhapur and 36 in Sangli. These include teams of the NDRF, Navy, Coast Guard and SDRF, it added.
Besides Sangli and Kolhapur, Satara, Pune and Solapur districts are also reeling under floods.
As of Thursday, over two lakh people have been evacuated to safer places in these five flood-affected districts.
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India could miss skipper Rohit Sharma for one Test in Australia
New Delhi, Oct 10: India could miss the services of skipper Rohit Sharma during one of the first two Test matches in Australia due to personal reasons which have communicated to the BCCI.
The Indian team will embark on tough five-Test series in Australia starting November 22 in Perth and there is a possibility that Rohit could give either the first or the second game in Adelaide (December 6-10) a miss.
"There isn't any complete clarity about the situation. It is understood that Rohit has intimated to the BCCI that there is a possibility that due to a pressing personal matter, he might have to skip one of the two Tests at the beginning of the series," a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
"In case, the personal issue is sorted before the start of the series, he might play all five Tests. We will get to know more in coming days," he said.
The 37-year-old Rohit played both the home Tests against Bangladesh. India will next host New Zealand for a three-Test rubber starting October 16.
In case Rohit misses a Test match in Australia, the in-form Abhimanyu Easwaran is likely to be his cover although Shubman Gill and KL Rahul are also players with enough experience in the opening slot.
Easwaran will also be in Australia with the India A team which he is supposed to lead.
However, there is no word who the vice-captain of the Test team will be as there was no official deputy for Rohit during the recent home series against Bangladesh.
"I think we need to understand that we have got a lot of IPL captains in this team. When you talk about the likes of Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, hopefully a Yashasvi (Jaiswal) going forward.
"There are a lot of players who have led their franchises," Abhishek Nayar told the media on the eve of the second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur.
There are three candidates for the role -- Rohit's white ball deputy Gill, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who has led India in a Test in England, and keeper-batter Rishabh Pant.
"I wouldn't look at them as youngsters anymore. Yes, they are youngsters in terms of age and the amount of cricket they have played. But, I think overall, mentally and in their development as a cricketer, I think they have the leadership qualities that are required. You don't need to have a vice-captain that should be designated," Nayar had stated when asked about the red-ball vice-captaincy.
"I think overall, the thought process of these youngsters is of a senior player. It's of someone who has played a lot of cricket."
