Half of India submerged in Monsoon flood (watch pics)

New Delhi: Even as the much-awaited monsoon brought relief from the blistering heat, incessant rains have wreaked havoc in many parts of the country. The monsoon rain in 2013 unleashed nature's fury in India as the states are facing devastating floods. Amid the torrential monsoon rain, rivers overflowed, destroying homes and trapping thousands of people in the flood water. Watch in pics how people and administration are trying to minimize the damage: Eight people have died and over 1,500 houses suffered extensive damage due to floods caused by incessant rains in Jammu and Kashmir. Of those killed, five died in a house collapse while three were washed away by swollen rivers. Timely rescue by the administration and the Army saved the lives of 80 people marooned in floods in different parts of the region. A resident walks through the banks of flooded River Tawi The whole city of Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal is almost waterlogged because of the heavy rainfall caused due to the depression at the Bay of Bengal. According to latest report of the Alipore weather department, Bengal shall face the consequences of the shift and the showers will continue the whole day. 30 wards in Howrah are highly water logged. The local residents are facing difficulties as water has entered inside the houses. Southern part of Bengal experienced maximum amount of showers. Villagers use a makeshift raft to cross floodwaters at Manikchak in Malda district of West Bengal A child sits inside a cooking vessel and is floated through floodwaters by a village woman at Gobindapur Village in West Midnapore district of West Bengal Villagers cross floodwaters along with their cattle at Pakuria village in West Midnapore Villagers walk through a flooded street at Panskura in East Midnapur district Over 500 people have been rescued from various low-lying areas in flood-hit Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh and about 535 marooned people from Bandrabhan, Malakheri and Babai areas in the district have been shifted to safer places as part of the ongoing relief. Overall 134 persons have been killed in various rain-related incidents this monsoon in Madhya Pradesh. Out of these 25 died last week following heavy downpour flooding half a dozen districts in the state. The Army has been pressed to provide relief operations. Village children sit on a cart as they are moved to safer areas after their homes were submerged in floodwaters in Hoshangabad Over 3,000 families in more than a dozen localities, including Chandpur Salori, Salori, Gayatri Nagar, Kailashpuri and Shivpuri, have been affected by the flood. For them, life has turned into a daily struggle to meet their requirements and keeping an eye on the rising water level of Ganga and Yamuna. A number of families have shifted to relief camps. However, a number of families have stayed put in their flooded houses. They have shifted to the first or second floor. In few cases, people are staying on the rooftops. Most of these victims area are dependent on boats to manage their daily requirements. People try to reach a safer ground after the overflowing of the Ganges River following heavy monsoon rains in Salori The rising Ganga washed away a 20-feet wide portion of the embankment alongside the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) near the historic Buxi Bund, flooding 11 localities of Allahabad. More than 1 lakh people of the district are affected by it. The Buxi Bund separates more than half the city from the Ganga and the latest breach threatened to inundate a large number of upscale localities as well. Alarmed local authorities immediately requisitioned the Army's help to plug the gap from which the seeping water had already caused a minor breach in the STP. Soldiers work to repair an embankment that was washed away due to heavy flooding in Allahabad Indian soldiers repairing an embankment in Allahabad