News Analysis India

Tag: India Monsoon

  • 17 dead, thousands moved to safety as rains batter various parts of India

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Incessant showers caused landslides and floods in various parts of the country leaving at least 17 people dead on Wednesday while thousands more were forced to move to safety as rivers swelled and water reservoirs filled up fast.

    The Telangana government has announced education institutes in the state will remain closed till Saturday because of continuous rain that inundated low-lying areas and damaged road links in several places.

    Also, in Maharashtra’s Palghar, Pune city and the neighbouring Pimpri Chinchwad area schools and colleges will remain shut on Thursday due to a heavy rain forecast.

    Rains, however, continued to elude Delhi as the city has so far recorded 148.2 mm of rainfall against a normal of 149.7 mm since June 1.

    Despite light rains in the morning, high humidity, oscillating between 68 per cent and 95 per cent, caused discomfiture during the day.

    In the west, heavy showers in parts of south Gujarat and Kutch-Saurashtra regions since Tuesday left 14 people dead, while over 31,000 were evacuated so far this season.

    Three national highways in Kutch, Navsari and Dang districts were blocked while 51 state highways and over 400 panchayat roads have also been damaged, state Disaster Management Minister Rajendra Trivedi said.

    Heavy rains have also led to a rise in the water levels of various reservoirs in the state, with 30 of them being filled up to 70 per cent or more out of their total storage capacity.

    The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘red alert’, predicting heavy rains till Thursday in Saurashtra and south Gujarat districts.

    Several parts of Kutch, Bharuch, Dang, Navsari and Tapi districts in south Gujarat received very heavy rainfall.

    In the Saurashtra region, Rajkot, Gir Somnath, Amreli and Jamnagar were among the districts that received heavy downpours.

    Rains have wreaked havoc in Maharashtra, causing a landslide in the Palghar district that killed a man and his daughter while four people were swept away in overflowing streams in the Gondia district.

    Both Palghar and Gondia districts have been witnessing very heavy rains since Tuesday night that inundated low-lying areas.

    Following the landslide in Palghar, at least 40 families in the neighbourhood of Waghralpada have been shifted to safety.

    In the Chandrapur district, 35 passengers had a close shave after their bus got stranded on a bridge submerged by a flooded stream.

    Police personnel used big ropes to rescue the stranded passengers, including children.

    In the Bhandara district, 15 people got stranded at a temple in the middle of the swollen Wainganga river.

    They had gone to the temple to offer prayers on the occasion of Guru Purnima.

    As many as 200 families were shifted to safety in Nanded district as the Painganga river started overflowing owing to continuous heavy downpours for the last three days.

    Road links to 26 villages in the district have been cut off due to floods, officials said.

    In Gadchiroli too, 2,000 people from 19 villages were shifted to safety as the Godavari, Kaleshwaram and Indravati rivers are at spate while the Wainganga, Pranhita and Wardha rivers are flowing near the warning level in the district.

    The Maharashtra capital was lashed by incessant showers leading to flooding in many low-lying areas and traffic snarls.

    According to IMD, 20 locations in Mumbai received nearly 40 mm showers in six hours till 9.30 am on Wednesday.

    Local trains, considered the lifeline of Mumbai, were largely unaffected on the Central Railway and Western Railway routes.

    The suburban services on the Harbour Line were running slow, according to railway officials.

    As rains continue to wreak havoc in different parts of Karnataka, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said 32 people have lost their lives so far and Rs 500 crore will be released immediately to restore the basic infrastructure that got damaged.

    Rains have continued in several parts of Malnad and coastal Karnataka causing a flood-like situation, also there have been several incidents of landslide and sea erosion.

    Rivers in the region have swelled, several dams have reached the brim and there is severe waterlogging in agriculture fields and low-lying areas causing damage to crops and properties.

    Similar is the situation in adjoining districts of Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru and Hassan.

    The increase in water level in rivers and dams are a cause of worry in a few northern districts of Belagavi, Vijayanagara and Yadgir.

    Water is being let out through 15 crest gates at Yadgir’s Basava Sagara dam into the Krishna river.

    The reservoir is receiving an inflow of about one lakh cusecs.

    People along the riverside have been asked to move to safer areas.

    With the Tungabhadra dam almost reaching its capacity and increasing water flow in the river, there are threats of some of the monuments at the heritage site of Hampi like Purandara Mantapa getting inundated.

    In Odisha, very heavy rains battered many parts of the coastal state, causing a landslide in the Gajapati district that damaged at least 10 houses while major roads in Malkangiri and Kalahandi districts were damaged.

    The IMD has forecast heavy to very rains in nine southern Odisha districts in the next two days.

    The heavy rainfall has thrown life out of gear in the Motu area of Malkangiri district bordering Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

    Road communication between Malkangiri to Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh has been disrupted as rainwater up to a height of six to eight feet was flowing on the road, an official said.

    The rainwater was also seen flowing over major roads in the Kalahandi district.

  • Rains claim 14 lives in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh; Khadakwasla dam water to be discharged in Pune’s Mutha river

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: At least 14 people were killed in rain-related incidents in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh and thousands were moved to safety as heavy downpour lashed parts of west and central India on Monday.

    Three persons were missing in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district after heavy rains and incessant downpour led to a rise in water levels of several rivers in Nashik district, where many temples, located on the bed of the Godavari river, were submerged.

    Officials said three persons were swept away in overflowing nullahs in the last three days and their bodies were fished out later.

    However, three more persons are still missing after being swept away in the nullah , they said.

    Mumbai and its adjoining areas also received moderate showers on Monday.

    After eluding the capital for over a week, rains lashed parts of Delhi on Monday afternoon bringing temporary relief from the muggy weather conditions.

    However, by evening, the weather again turned humid.

    Moderate rainfall occurred at most places in Rajasthan while isolated places received heavy rainfall in the last 24 hours ending Monday morning, weather officials said.

    At least seven people were killed as heavy rains pounded several parts of south and central Gujarat districts, causing a flood-like situation in many areas, while over 9,000 people were relocated and 468 rescued.

    In south Gujarat, Dang, Navsari, Tapi, and Valsad districts were affected while the rain-hit districts in central Gujarat are Panchmahal, Chhota Udepur, and Kheda.

    The Met department issued a warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall with isolated extremely heavy rains in Dang, Navsari, Valsad, Tapi and Surat during the next five days.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured Gujarat of all possible help from the Centre.

    “Seven persons died in rain-related incidents in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll due to rain-related incidents like lightning, drowning, wall collapse etc in Gujarat to 63 since June 1,” state Disaster Management Minister Rajendra Trivedi said.

    He said 18 platoons each of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed at strategic locations for rescue and relief operations as and when required.

    A total of 5,278 people in Chhota Udepur district, 2,902 in Navsari and 469 in Valsad and a few more in other rain-affected districts were shifted from flooded areas to safer places, out of which 3,821 stayed while others returned home after the water receded, he said.

    In Madhya Pradesh, the Met department issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall in 33 of 52 districts of the state, while lightning amid steady downpour claimed seven lives in the last 24 hours.

    The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said very heavy rainfall in the 64.5 to 204.4 mm range was likely to lash 33 districts.

    An official from the revenue department said lightning strikes at various places killed seven persons in a 24-hour period ending at 2:30 pm on Monday, which took the statewide death toll from such incidents to 60 since June 1.

    “The seven deaths in the last 24 hours comprised two in Mandla, and one each in Ashok Nagar, Datia, Guna, Narsinghpur and Narmadapurman,” the official added.

    IMD data showed Pachmarhi, the state’s lone hill station, received 103.2 mm of rainfall in a 24-hour period ending 8:30 AM on Monday.

    It also showed that Raisen, Betul, Narmadapuram, Jabalpur, Chhindwara, Bhopal, Gwalior and Indore received 86.4 mm, 72.6 mm, 70.4 mm, 55.0 mm, 55.0 mm, 46.4 mm, 21.9 mm and 17.2 mm rainfall, respectively, during this period.

    In Maharashtra, three persons were missing in Gadchiroli district after heavy rains.

    Heavy showers continued to lash Nashik district, causing a rise in water levels of several rivers and submerging many temples located on the bed of the Godavari river.

    The IMD has issued a ‘red’ alert for Nashik district till July 14, forecasting heavy to extremely heavy rains of over 20 cm in 24 hours.

    Pune district, too, has been witnessing heavy rains since the last few days.

    In Gadchiroli district in eastern Maharashtra, three persons were swept away in overflowing nullahs in the last three days and their bodies were fished out later, said a release issued by the District Information Office (DIO).

    In Gadchiroli, as many as 353 people from 129 places affected by heavy rains have been shifted to safer places, it said.

    In the last 24 hours, Surgana in Nashik district received the highest rainfall at 238.8 mm, followed by Peth at 187.6 mm and Trimbakeshwar at 168 mm, an official said.

    Light to moderate rains also lashed Mumbai and its neighbouring areas on Monday, but there was no report of water-logging anywhere in the metropolis, civic officials said.

    The IMD has predicted moderate rainfall in the city and its suburbs over the next 24 hours, with a possibility of heavy showers at isolated places, they said.

    A landslide occurred on a road leading to the famous Bhimashankar temple in Pune district in the early hours of Monday following heavy rains, officials said.

    Meanwhile, an official bulletin on Monday said over 3.79 lakh people are still reeling under floods across 10 districts of Assam, which was battered by heavy spells of rain last month.

    According to Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), no death due to drowning was reported during the day, with the toll in this year’s flood and landslides standing at 192.

    Amid heavy rains in its catchment areas, water will be discharged from the Khadakwasla dam in Maharashtra’s Pune district on Monday night, an irrigation department official said.

    He said the collective water storage in four dams – Panshet, Warasgaon, Tembhar and Khadakwasla, that provide water to Pune city, stood at over 9 TMC (32.48) per cent.

    “Owing to heavy rains in catchment areas of the Khadakwasla dam, the water level is over 75 per cent till Monday evening. With the water level rising, water will be released at 1,000 Cusecs (one cubic foot per second) in the Mutha river at 11.30 pm on Monday,” the official said.

    Meanwhile, India Meteorological Department predicted overcast conditions for the Pune area on Tuesday and Wednesday with moderate to isolated heavy rains and very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in the ghat areas.

    “With cloud covering Pune district and Pune city, the monsoon will be vigorous and will continue till July 14. Water logging and inundation may take place in low-lying areas,” said an IMD official.

    Meanwhile, at least 16 incidents of trees falling and uprooting were reported in Pune city, Fire Brigade officials said.

    A portion of an old wada (big house with many rooms) collapsed in the Somwar Peth area, but no one was injured in the incident.

    As many as 83 people have died in rain-related incidents in Maharashtra between June 1 and July 10, the state disaster management authority said in a report on Monday.

    The report said 164 animals, too, have perished during the same period in rain-related incidents.

    Nashik district in North Maharashtra recorded the maximum number of deaths at 12 followed by Nagpur (four).

    These deaths were caused by incidents like floods, lightning strikes, landslides, falling of trees and collapse of structures, among others, it said.

    Chandrapur, Parbhani, Osmanabad, Hingoli, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Sangli, Solapur, Raigad, Thane and Mumbai did not record any fatality since the beginning of the monsoon last month, the report said.

    Several parts of the state, including Mumbai and its adjoining areas, witnessed heavy rainfall between June 1 and July 10.

    Heavy rains continued to lash Nashik district on Monday, causing a rise in water levels of several rivers and submerging many temples located on the bed of the Godavari river, officials said.

    The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘red’ alert for Nashik district till July 14, forecasting heavy to extremely heavy rains of over 20 cm in 24 hours.

    Pune and Gadchiroli districts, too, have been witnessing downpour rains since the last few days.

    After four straight days of downpour last week, Mumbai has been witnessing light to moderate rainfall.

  • Drought-like situation in 30 per cent of india; thanks to inadequate rainfall

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: With inadequate rainfall in July and August, nearly 30 per cent of the country is facing drought conditions which have steadily risen over the last month.

    Last year, only 10 per cent of these areas were facing a similar situation in the same period.

    The drought forecast shows that the situation is expected to improve in the coming weeks with the weather office expecting rains to pick up this month.

    According to rainfall data collated by the India Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, till September 4, 27.70 per cent of these areas range from abnormally dry to extreme dry, while 1.58 per cent falls in the category of exceptionally dry range.

    Just a month back, on August 3, area from abnormally dry to extreme dry was 18.28 per cent, while exceptionally dry was at 1.31 per cent.

    A team of experts from the IIT-run India Drought Monitor tracked geographical areas facing drought conditions based on rainfall from data provided by the India Meteorological Department.

    The states facing worst drought conditions include Gujarat, Odisha, parts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Northeastern states.

    According to the Union Jal Shakti ministry, meteorological drought is classified based on rainfall deficiency — 25 per cent or less is normal, 26-50 per cent is moderate and more than 50 per cent is severe.

    The Ministry of Agriculture is the nodal ministry in respect of monitoring and managing drought conditions and droughts are classified into meteorological droughts, hydrological droughts and agricultural droughts.

    The government takes a call on drought based on several parameters.

    Around 68 per cent of India is prone to drought in varying degrees — 35 per cent which receives rainfall between 750 mm and 1125 mm is considered drought prone, while 33 per cent receiving less than 750 mm is chronically drought prone, as per official classification.

  • Country likely to receive above normal rainfall in September: IMD

    The monsoon deficit now stands at nine per cent and this is expected to come down due to good rainfall during September.