Heavy rains lashed northern parts, leaving at least 28 people dead and 22 missing in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab on Sunday, August 18, while a flood alert was sounded in parts of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh as Yamuna and other rivers were in spate.
Haryana has asked the Army to remain on standby after 8.14 lakh cusec water was released from the Hathini Kund barrage in the Yamuna river.
22 killed in Himachal Pradesh
At least 22 people, including two Nepalese, were killed and nine others injured in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh.
Nine people died in Shimla, five in Solan, two each in Kullu, Sirmaur, Solan and Chamba and one each in Una and Lahaul-Spiti districts. Landslides hit a spot near the RTO office here, leaving three people dead. One person sustained injuries in the incident.
Due to heavy rains, district officials in the State have ordered closure of all educational institutions in Shimla and Kullu on Monday.
Gates of the Pandoh and the Nathpa Jhakri dams in Himachal Pradesh are being opened as the water level in the Beas and Sutlej rivers is very high. People have been requested to stay away from rivers, rivulets and streams to avoid any untoward incident, officials said.
Train services between Shimla and Kalka were disrupted on Sunday after multiple landslides blocked the rail route in the state.
Flood death toll in Pune division mounts to 56
The death toll in floods in the Pune division of Maharashtra climbed to 56 on Sunday, a senior officer said.
Out of the five districts that fall under the administrative division, Sangli and Kolhapur were badly affected by floods in the second week of August. Other districts in the division are Solapur, Pune and Satara.
With most of the rivers in Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara now flowing below the danger marks, communication to almost all villages in the region has been restored.
As per the figures available so far, 1519 houses were damaged completely in floods while 19,780 partially.
- PTI
In Uttar Pradesh, rivers flow above danger mark
Rivers in Uttar Pradesh, including the Ganga, Yamuna and Ghaghra, are in spate following heavy rainfall in neighbouring states.
According to the Central Water Commission, the Ganga is flowing above the danger mark in Badaun, Garhmukteshwar, Naraura and Farrukhabad.
Similarly, the Sharda in Palia Kalan and the Ghaghra at Elgin Bridge in Barabanki of UP are flowing above the danger mark.
Jalaun DM Mannan Akhtar said,”The Yamuna is flowing above the danger mark in Kalpi due to which 12 villages have been cut off from the tehsil headquarters. Kharif crop has been damaged. The release of water from the Hathni Kund barrage in Haryana and excessive rain in Kota of Rajasthan have suddenly increased the water level in the Yamuna.”
Akhtar said the crop damage was being assessed.
Meanwhile, Farrukhabad DM Monica Rani said the administration had already started the work to prevent the erosion of the Ganga bank.
- PTI
Delhi sounds flood alert as water levels rise in Yamuna
As the water level in the Yamuna river neared warning level, the Delhi government sounded a flood alert for the city and asked people living in the low-lying areas to move to safer places as the water level in the Yamuna river is expected to cross the danger mark, officials said.
An official said the Yamuna river was flowing at 203.37 metre on Sunday evening and its water level is expected to rise further in next 24 hours after 8.14 lakh cusec water was released from the Hathini Kund barrage in Harayana at 5 pm.
3 killed in Uttarakhand
In Uttarakhand, three people were killed and around 22 went missing as heavy rains lashed the State. Cloudbursts in Mori block of Uttarkashi district wreaked havoc in several villages, damaging several houses in Arakot, Makuri and Tikochi villages. A woman was washed away in Dehradun district when her car fell into a seasonal river, they said.
Haryana, Punjab affected
Heavy rains remained unabated in Haryana and Punjab on Sunday causing floods in some parts, while authorities sounded high alert in the two States.
Following heavy rains in Aol village of Punjab, three members of a family were killed when the roof of their house collapsed.
Eleven people, including four women, have been rescued after they got stuck when the overflowing water of Beas river flooded their village in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district.
In Rajasthan, water has started receding and there was no flood-like situation anywhere in the state. An official said 49 people have died in rain-related incidents in the state since June 15 and 500 people have been evacuated from the rain-affected areas.
In West Bengal, weather in large parts of south Bengal, including the metropolis, improved after two days of torrential rain that led to waterlogging in many areas and snapped road links at several places.
In south India, rains lashed several parts of Chennai and its neighbourhood with the MeT office predicting more showers during the next two days.