New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh bore the brunt of monsoon fury as rain-related incidents claimed 18 lives, with the IMD on Saturday issuing alerts for heavy rain in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Kerala.
While torrential rain caused a flood-like situation in parts of Rajasthan; heavy rainfall and landslides in some areas of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim affected normal life and disrupted traffic movement.
In Uttar Pradesh, 18 people died in a period of over 24 hours ending at 8 pm on July 18. Of the total, eight died of drowning following excessive rain, while two were a result of snakebites.
In Chitrakoot, two deaths due to drowning were reported on July 17 and 18, three in Moradabad on July 17, and one drowned in Ghazipur on July 18, according to an official statement.
Rain-related incidents after downpour claimed three lives in Banda and two each in Mahoba and Chitrakoot, and one in Lalitpur on July 18, the statement said.
In Rajasthan, heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours has resulted in flood-like conditions in several cities, including Ajmer, Pushkar, Bundi, Sawai Madhopur, and Pali.
Many villages have been cut off as rivers, drains, and dams overflowed due to the intense rain. On Friday night, 17 people got stranded in the Banas River near Golera village in the Todaraisingh area of Tonk, but they were later rescued by the SDRF.
In Ajmer’s Dargah area, several people were swept away by the strong water flow, prompting locals to intervene and rescue them.
Ajmer’s Ana Sagar lake is overflowing as a result of the persistent rain, with locals using sandbags to try to control the flow.
The highest rainfall recorded was 234.0 mm in Nainwa of Bundi district, followed by 230 mm in Merta City of Nagaur, 190 mm in Mangliawas of Ajmer, 180 mm in Nasirabad of Ajmer, and 160 mm in Pratapgarh.
Heavy to very heavy rain is expected in the Jodhpur division on Saturday, with moderate to heavy rain anticipated in some areas of the Ajmer and Udaipur divisions. The likelihood of reduced heavy rain activity in the Bharatpur, Jaipur, Kota, and Bikaner divisions from Saturday is also strong, Jaipur MeT department director Radhey Shyam Sharma said.
A rapid decline in rain activities across the state is likely from Sunday onward, he said, adding that a new wave of heavy rain could potentially return to eastern Rajasthan around July 27-28.
In Uttarakhand, a ‘red alert’ for heavy rainfall on Sunday in parts of the Kumaon region has been issued by the meteorological department.
Nainital, Champawat and Udham Singh Nagar in the Kumaon region are likely to be pounded by heavy rainfall on Sunday.
The department has also issued an ‘orange alert’ for heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places in Dehradun, Tehri and Pauri districts in the Garhwal region as well as Bageshwar and Pithoragarh districts of Kumaon.
In view of the rain alerts, the district administrations have been asked to take precautions, including controlling the movement of people.
Disaster-related equipment and wireless sets should be kept ready at every police station and outposts, said a letter issued by Deputy Secretary, State Emergency Operation Centre, Shivshankar Mishra, to the district magistrates.
Tourists in the upper reaches of the Himalayas should not be allowed to travel amid unusual weather or heavy rain, the letter said.
In Himachal Pradesh, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an ‘orange alert’ for downpour on Monday and Tuesday in nine districts in Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur.
Hamirpur received 13.5 mm of rain since Friday night, followed by Karsog 8.1 mm, Kasauli 5 mm, Jubbarhatti 4.8 mm, Kothi 4 mm, Slapper 3.9 mm and Shimla 3.6 mm, Ghaghas 3.4 and Kufri 3 mm.
A total of 141 roads are still closed in the state, while 58 water supply schemes and 28 power distribution transformers were affected as of Saturday evening, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).
In the disaster-hit Mandi district, 94 roads were closed and 33 in Kullu district.
In Kerala, the IMD has issued a ‘red alert’ for downpour five northern districts — Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod — where incessant rains lashed several towns and high-range areas, causing inundation and traffic snarls.
Districts including Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, and Palakkad were placed under an ‘orange alert’ for heavy rainfall.
In light of the rain alerts, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has also issued guidelines on precautions to be taken during emergencies.
Both Wayanad and Kozhikode experienced intense rainfall throughout Friday night, although there was a slight respite on Saturday morning.
District authorities in Kozhikode are closely monitoring the situation and are prepared to evacuate people living in high-altitude areas and those near water bodies to safer locations if necessary.
In Arunachal Pradesh, surface communication at various places in Lower Siang district has been snapped due to continuous rains over the past couple of days.
Incessant rains have snapped the Aalo-Likabali road in several locations since Saturday morning, Likabali Additional Deputy Commissioner Mokar Riba said.
The road, a lifeline for several districts including West Siang, Leparada, Shi-Yomi, and Upper Subansiri, has been blocked by landslide debris in Siji, Yate and near Garu village, he said, adding that the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) has been directed to clear the road.
“Though the NHIDCL has engaged men and machinery, they are facing problems in clearing the road due to continuous downpour,” Riba said.
Vehicular movement on a stretch of National Highway-10 connecting Sevoke in West Bengal and Sikkim’s Rangpo has been temporarily halted due to landslides and rockfall, officials said on Saturday.
Clearance activities are underway on the stretch following landslides at Birik Dara in Kalimpong district of West Bengal, they said, adding that it is expected to reopen within 24 hours.
Meanwhile, in Delhi, the IMD has forecast thunderstorms with showers during the day. The city recorded a minimum temperature of 25.2 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season’s average.
