News Analysis India

Tag: rains

  • Flood fury in Punjab: Two teen boys drown in swollen river, 150 villages marooned

    Express News Service

    CHANDIGARH: The flood situation in Punjab worsened on Thursday following the release of excess water from the Bhakra-Nangal and Pong dams into the swollen Beas and Sutlej rivers.

    Two teenage boys accidentally fell into a swollen rivulet in the Gurdaspur district, where they had gone to watch the rising water level. Their bodies were recovered later. Another person went missing in Kapurthala district. 

    The flood waters have inundated at least 150 villages in six districts of Punjab, disrupting normal life.

    The authorities had issued fair warning and nearly 9,700 people were rescued, officials said.

    According to official sources, 70 villages in Gurdaspur are affected and around 5,000 people have been evacuated from the district. 

    In neighbouring Hoshiarpur district, 18 villages are under water, officials said. The number of affected villages in Taran Taran district is estimated at 39.

    In Ropar district, some 15 villages are affected while in Amritsar district, one village is hit. 

    Pong and Bhakhra release water. It is said that the gates shall be open for next 10 days. The visuals on my way back near Beas today were heartbreaking. Punjab floods yet again!#Punjab#Floods pic.twitter.com/rj1pTCG2EV
    — Harmeen Soch (@HarmeenSoch) August 17, 2023
    Himanshu Agarwal, deputy commissioner of Gurdaspur, said that multiple teams of the National Disaster Response Force, Army and Border Security Force have been pressed into service to rescue marooned villagers. 

    Officials fear the flood situation may escalate further as heavy rain is expected in upstream Himachal Pradesh, where the catchment areas of the Pong and Bhakra dams lie.

    The Punjab government has already sounded a red alert for the downstream districts of Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, and Tarn Taran.

    Flooding may have damaged 90% of paddy cropPunjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday visited Hoshiarpur district to take stock of the situation. He said the state government has ordered a survey to ascertain the loss incurred to people due to floods.

    According to preliminary estimates, 90% of the paddy crop has been adversely affected.

    CHANDIGARH: The flood situation in Punjab worsened on Thursday following the release of excess water from the Bhakra-Nangal and Pong dams into the swollen Beas and Sutlej rivers.

    Two teenage boys accidentally fell into a swollen rivulet in the Gurdaspur district, where they had gone to watch the rising water level. Their bodies were recovered later. Another person went missing in Kapurthala district. 

    The flood waters have inundated at least 150 villages in six districts of Punjab, disrupting normal life.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The authorities had issued fair warning and nearly 9,700 people were rescued, officials said.

    According to official sources, 70 villages in Gurdaspur are affected and around 5,000 people have been evacuated from the district. 

    In neighbouring Hoshiarpur district, 18 villages are under water, officials said. The number of affected villages in Taran Taran district is estimated at 39.

    In Ropar district, some 15 villages are affected while in Amritsar district, one village is hit. 

    Pong and Bhakhra release water. It is said that the gates shall be open for next 10 days. The visuals on my way back near Beas today were heartbreaking. Punjab floods yet again!#Punjab#Floods pic.twitter.com/rj1pTCG2EV
    — Harmeen Soch (@HarmeenSoch) August 17, 2023
    Himanshu Agarwal, deputy commissioner of Gurdaspur, said that multiple teams of the National Disaster Response Force, Army and Border Security Force have been pressed into service to rescue marooned villagers. 

    Officials fear the flood situation may escalate further as heavy rain is expected in upstream Himachal Pradesh, where the catchment areas of the Pong and Bhakra dams lie.

    The Punjab government has already sounded a red alert for the downstream districts of Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, and Tarn Taran.

    Flooding may have damaged 90% of paddy crop
    Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday visited Hoshiarpur district to take stock of the situation. He said the state government has ordered a survey to ascertain the loss incurred to people due to floods.

    According to preliminary estimates, 90% of the paddy crop has been adversely affected.

  • First person: Tale of destruction from Shimla

    By PTI

    SHIMLA: “Will we also die, will our house too break, papa,” my six-year-old daughter asked as the horror of the devastating rains here hit home on Independence Day.

    Our family had rushed out after hearing a deafening roar. There were screams as the side of a hill barely 100 metres from our home, across a nullah, slid. A couple of multi-storey houses, some makeshift homes and a slaughterhouse were buried under the rubble.

    Our daughter was already upset when this landslide in Krishnanagar locality took place. Two girls, studying in nursery and class 2 at her school, had died Monday when a landslip buried a Shiv temple in Summer Hill locality.

    But for us, the landslide nearer home was more heartbreaking, even if the casualties were far fewer than in the one at the Shiv temple.

    The Krishnanagar houses had begun showing cracks and most people had evacuated hours earlier. Minutes later, when I reached the spot, people who had lost their homes were howling. A woman ran around barefoot, searching for her husband.

    An employee at the slaughterhouse — the building below the houses on the hillside — was looking for his manager.

    “I can see a hand,” a man said.

    Rescue workers had a tough time keeping people away as mud continued to slide.

    “Should I touch your feet, only then would you leave?” a rescue worker told a local resident.

    Shaken by the landslide, people in adjoining homes that were still standing too began to leave, carrying away whatever they could. A small girl held a bag as she sobbed. A man carried his old mother on his shoulders. I too left to file the report.

    There was no electricity at my home-office and several other Shimla localities for two days, and I typed on my phone. Every now and then it needed to be plugged into the car-charger.

    Later, two bodies were pulled out of the rubble. One of them, a police officer told me, had been decapitated.

    Battered by three days of rain, the Himachal Pradesh capital tells a tale of destruction.

    There have been other smaller landslips. The city is dotted with fallen trees and snapped power lines. Cracks have appeared on roads and several buildings are at risk. Cart Road, which encircles Shimla, is blocked due to two landslides, which it is feared might lead to the collapse of some endangered buildings.

    On Mall Road, tourists are missing. Over 30 people have died in Shimla district.

    The state-wise toll over three days of rains crossed 70 on Wednesday, and more bodies needed to be pulled out of the rubble.

    SHIMLA: “Will we also die, will our house too break, papa,” my six-year-old daughter asked as the horror of the devastating rains here hit home on Independence Day.

    Our family had rushed out after hearing a deafening roar. There were screams as the side of a hill barely 100 metres from our home, across a nullah, slid. A couple of multi-storey houses, some makeshift homes and a slaughterhouse were buried under the rubble.

    Our daughter was already upset when this landslide in Krishnanagar locality took place. Two girls, studying in nursery and class 2 at her school, had died Monday when a landslip buried a Shiv temple in Summer Hill locality.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    But for us, the landslide nearer home was more heartbreaking, even if the casualties were far fewer than in the one at the Shiv temple.

    The Krishnanagar houses had begun showing cracks and most people had evacuated hours earlier. Minutes later, when I reached the spot, people who had lost their homes were howling. A woman ran around barefoot, searching for her husband.

    An employee at the slaughterhouse — the building below the houses on the hillside — was looking for his manager.

    “I can see a hand,” a man said.

    Rescue workers had a tough time keeping people away as mud continued to slide.

    “Should I touch your feet, only then would you leave?” a rescue worker told a local resident.

    Shaken by the landslide, people in adjoining homes that were still standing too began to leave, carrying away whatever they could. A small girl held a bag as she sobbed. A man carried his old mother on his shoulders. I too left to file the report.

    There was no electricity at my home-office and several other Shimla localities for two days, and I typed on my phone. Every now and then it needed to be plugged into the car-charger.

    Later, two bodies were pulled out of the rubble. One of them, a police officer told me, had been decapitated.

    Battered by three days of rain, the Himachal Pradesh capital tells a tale of destruction.

    There have been other smaller landslips. The city is dotted with fallen trees and snapped power lines. Cracks have appeared on roads and several buildings are at risk. Cart Road, which encircles Shimla, is blocked due to two landslides, which it is feared might lead to the collapse of some endangered buildings.

    On Mall Road, tourists are missing. Over 30 people have died in Shimla district.

    The state-wise toll over three days of rains crossed 70 on Wednesday, and more bodies needed to be pulled out of the rubble.

  • Uttarakhand floods: Death toll climbs to 70, property worth Rs 1000 crore damaged

    Express News Service

    DEHRADUN: The floods that hit Uttarakhand this monsoon has caused damage worth nearly Rs 1,000 crore to roads, private buildings and agricultural land in the state.

    The devastating floods have so far claimed 70 lives while 37 people were injured and 19 were reported missing.

    State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) PRO Lalita Negi told The New Indian Express that most of the 250 pilgrims stranded on the Second Kedar Madmaheshwar pedestrian route have been rescued by the teams of SDRF and local police. The state government has arranged a helicopter to rescue the stranded pilgrims.

    On Wednesday, 103 people trapped following the collapse of a bridge in Madmaheshwar have been rescued by the SDRF team. The rescue operation lasted for several hours on Tuesday and Wednesday. Many of the rescued passengers are also from Delhi, Punjab, Chandigarh and Nepal.

    In the last 5 days, Khoh River and Behera Spring have caused havoc in Kotdwar and surrounding areas. As many as 19 buildings were damaged in Kashirampur Talla and Bahera rivulet due to the rains. Local residents could not even recover from the incident that on the night of August 13, both the rivers again swelled and 33 buildings were submerged in the river.

    DEHRADUN: The floods that hit Uttarakhand this monsoon has caused damage worth nearly Rs 1,000 crore to roads, private buildings and agricultural land in the state.

    The devastating floods have so far claimed 70 lives while 37 people were injured and 19 were reported missing.

    State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) PRO Lalita Negi told The New Indian Express that most of the 250 pilgrims stranded on the Second Kedar Madmaheshwar pedestrian route have been rescued by the teams of SDRF and local police. The state government has arranged a helicopter to rescue the stranded pilgrims.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    On Wednesday, 103 people trapped following the collapse of a bridge in Madmaheshwar have been rescued by the SDRF team. The rescue operation lasted for several hours on Tuesday and Wednesday. Many of the rescued passengers are also from Delhi, Punjab, Chandigarh and Nepal.

    In the last 5 days, Khoh River and Behera Spring have caused havoc in Kotdwar and surrounding areas. As many as 19 buildings were damaged in Kashirampur Talla and Bahera rivulet due to the rains. Local residents could not even recover from the incident that on the night of August 13, both the rivers again swelled and 33 buildings were submerged in the river.

  • Nine people killed in rain incidents over 24 hours in Uttarakhand

    By PTI

    DEHRADUN: Nine people have died in separate rain-related incidents over the past 24 hours across Uttarakhand as Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday took stock of the situation and directed all district magistrates to stay on the alert.

    One person is missing in the incidents which also left around half a dozen people injured.

    Two siblings were killed and a third got injured when the hut they were sleeping in was hit by a landslide in the early hours of Wednesday amid incessant rains in Gaurikund, the base camp of Kedarnath Yatra. This was the second landslide in Gaurikund in five days.

    The shack near the helipad in Gaurikund village was hit by a landslide from the top of the hill, burying four of a family in debris, Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said.

    A woman named Janaki emerged unhurt out of the debris while her three children got buried under it, he said. On getting the information, rescue teams reached the spot, pulled out the children and took them to a local government hospital.

    #WATCH | Rishikesh, Uttarakhand: One out of the two people who were stranded after a wall collapsed near Chaurasi Kutiya in the Laxman Jhula area, has been rescued by a team of SDRF. Search & rescue operation is underway: SDRF(Video Source: SDRF) pic.twitter.com/hCSv9xffUr
    — ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) August 10, 2023
    Eight-year-old Sweety survived the incident and is being treated for injuries. Her younger sister Pinky, 5, and another small child, were declared dead at the hospital. The family living in the hut was from Nepal. The children’s father Satyaraj, a labourer, had gone to his village in Nepal.

    The spot in Gaurikund village is just half a kilometer away from the place where three persons were killed and 20 others went missing in a landslide that occurred on August 4.

    Five people were killed and as many injured in two separate road accidents in the past 24 hours in Uttarakhand’s Pauri district, officials said.

    Four people, including a father-son duo, died when their car fell into a deep gorge on Tuesday night at Gumkhal, State Disaster Response Force official Praveen Rathi, who led the rescue operation, told PTI over the phone on Wednesday.

    SDRF personnel rushed to the spot after the accident and launched the rescue operation. The team initially brought out three bodies from the gorge to the main road with the help of rope stretchers, Rathi said. One more occupant of the car remained missing for hours after the accident. However, his body was recovered later, he said.

    The deceased were identified as Chandramohan Singh Bisht (62), his son Atul Bisht (35), and two others — Dinesh Singh (63) and Kamal Bisht (45), the SDRF official said.

    The four men were returning from Gumkhal market to their village Devdali located in Jaiharikhal area when the accident took place, he said.

    #WATCH | Rishikesh, Uttarakhand: Severe waterlogging witnessed due to incessant rainfall in Dhalwala & Khara areas. SDRF launched a relief & rescue operation last night: SDRF(Visual source: SDRF) pic.twitter.com/XOD3x1QdLH
    — ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) August 10, 2023
    In a similar accident near Mundaneshwar in Kaljikhal block of the district, one woman was killed and five others were injured when their car fell into an 80-metre deep gorge at 2 pm on Wednesday, the disaster control room in Pauri said.

    A woman travelling in a bus was killed and another injured when a rock fell over the vehicle on the Rishikesh-Yamunotri National Highway at around 8 am.

    The vehicle was coming from Jankichatti to Barkot.

    A man died in Gadarpur area of Udham Singh Nagar district on Tuesday when a tree fell over him.

    He has been identified as 25-year-old Akshay.

    Meanwhile, Dhami took an update on the excessive rains pounding the state and asked all DMs to remain in alert mode.

    He asked all departments to keep coordinating among themselves so that rapid action could be taken in case of a disaster.

    He spoke to the DMs of Rudraprayag, Pauri, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar on the phone and asked them to keep the administrative arrangements ready in advance to deal with any situation that might emerge in areas vulnerable to natural calamities.

    DEHRADUN: Nine people have died in separate rain-related incidents over the past 24 hours across Uttarakhand as Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday took stock of the situation and directed all district magistrates to stay on the alert.

    One person is missing in the incidents which also left around half a dozen people injured.

    Two siblings were killed and a third got injured when the hut they were sleeping in was hit by a landslide in the early hours of Wednesday amid incessant rains in Gaurikund, the base camp of Kedarnath Yatra. This was the second landslide in Gaurikund in five days.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The shack near the helipad in Gaurikund village was hit by a landslide from the top of the hill, burying four of a family in debris, Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said.

    A woman named Janaki emerged unhurt out of the debris while her three children got buried under it, he said. On getting the information, rescue teams reached the spot, pulled out the children and took them to a local government hospital.

    #WATCH | Rishikesh, Uttarakhand: One out of the two people who were stranded after a wall collapsed near Chaurasi Kutiya in the Laxman Jhula area, has been rescued by a team of SDRF. Search & rescue operation is underway: SDRF
    (Video Source: SDRF) pic.twitter.com/hCSv9xffUr
    — ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) August 10, 2023
    Eight-year-old Sweety survived the incident and is being treated for injuries. Her younger sister Pinky, 5, and another small child, were declared dead at the hospital. The family living in the hut was from Nepal. The children’s father Satyaraj, a labourer, had gone to his village in Nepal.

    The spot in Gaurikund village is just half a kilometer away from the place where three persons were killed and 20 others went missing in a landslide that occurred on August 4.

    Five people were killed and as many injured in two separate road accidents in the past 24 hours in Uttarakhand’s Pauri district, officials said.

    Four people, including a father-son duo, died when their car fell into a deep gorge on Tuesday night at Gumkhal, State Disaster Response Force official Praveen Rathi, who led the rescue operation, told PTI over the phone on Wednesday.

    SDRF personnel rushed to the spot after the accident and launched the rescue operation. The team initially brought out three bodies from the gorge to the main road with the help of rope stretchers, Rathi said. One more occupant of the car remained missing for hours after the accident. However, his body was recovered later, he said.

    The deceased were identified as Chandramohan Singh Bisht (62), his son Atul Bisht (35), and two others — Dinesh Singh (63) and Kamal Bisht (45), the SDRF official said.

    The four men were returning from Gumkhal market to their village Devdali located in Jaiharikhal area when the accident took place, he said.

    #WATCH | Rishikesh, Uttarakhand: Severe waterlogging witnessed due to incessant rainfall in Dhalwala & Khara areas. SDRF launched a relief & rescue operation last night: SDRF
    (Visual source: SDRF) pic.twitter.com/XOD3x1QdLH
    — ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) August 10, 2023
    In a similar accident near Mundaneshwar in Kaljikhal block of the district, one woman was killed and five others were injured when their car fell into an 80-metre deep gorge at 2 pm on Wednesday, the disaster control room in Pauri said.

    A woman travelling in a bus was killed and another injured when a rock fell over the vehicle on the Rishikesh-Yamunotri National Highway at around 8 am.

    The vehicle was coming from Jankichatti to Barkot.

    A man died in Gadarpur area of Udham Singh Nagar district on Tuesday when a tree fell over him.

    He has been identified as 25-year-old Akshay.

    Meanwhile, Dhami took an update on the excessive rains pounding the state and asked all DMs to remain in alert mode.

    He asked all departments to keep coordinating among themselves so that rapid action could be taken in case of a disaster.

    He spoke to the DMs of Rudraprayag, Pauri, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar on the phone and asked them to keep the administrative arrangements ready in advance to deal with any situation that might emerge in areas vulnerable to natural calamities.

  • Monsoonal rains swing from 10-per cent deficit to surplus in 8 days 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The bountiful rains in many parts of India in the first eight days of July have bridged the rainfall deficit for the entire country, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

    The cumulative rainfall in the monsoon season has reached 243.2 mm, which is 2 per cent above the normal of 239.1 mm.

    However, there are large-scale regional variations in rainfall. While the eastern and northeastern region has recorded a deficiency of 17 per cent (375.3 mm against a normal of 454 mm), north India has witnessed 59 per cent excess rainfall (199.7 mm against a normal of 125.5 mm), the latest IMD data showed.

    Central India, where a large number of farmers rely on monsoonal rains, has recorded 264.9 mm rainfall against a normal of 255.1 mm, an excess of 4 per cent.

    The rainfall deficiency in south India has reduced from 45 per cent to 23 per cent. At the end of June, the cumulative rainfall for the entire country was 148.6 mm, 10 per cent below the normal precipitation. The deficit stood at 33 per cent on June 22.

    The IMD had earlier forecast normal rainfall in July, ranging from 94 to 106 per cent of the long-period average.

    However, below-normal precipitation is expected in many areas of northwest, northeast and southeast peninsular India.

    Northwest India saw above-normal rain in the pre-monsoon season due to higher-than-usual western disturbances — weather systems that originate in the Mediterranean region and bring unseasonal rainfall to the region.

    Cyclone Biparjoy played a role in delaying the monsoon onset over Kerala and the advance over southern India and the adjoining western and central parts of the country.

    However, its remnant brought heavy rainfall to parts of northwest and central India in the third week of June.

    An interaction between an active Western Disturbance and the monsoon trough has resulted in incessant rain since Saturday, causing flash floods and severe damage to infrastructure in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

    Delhi recorded 153 mm rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am on Sunday, the highest in a single day in July since 1982, and another 105 mm between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm.

    Chandigarh and Ambala reported a record rainfall of 322.2 mm and 224.1 mm respectively.

    According to experts, the late arrival of monsoon caused a delay in crop sowing by about two weeks in many parts of central India in June and the ongoing intense rain in north India is expected to have an impact on the cultivation of pulses and oilseed crops.

    GV Ramanjaneyulu, an agricultural scientist at the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture in Hyderabad, said in north India, where most of the irrigated areas grow paddy, the impact may not be significant.

    However, the cultivation of pulses, oilseeds and vegetables in certain parts of north and central India will likely be affected.

    He said heavy waterlogging or stagnant water for extended periods can negatively affect seed germination.

    Ramanjaneyulu said India lacks a proper water management system, specifically drainage infrastructure.

    “While there are irrigation networks, there is often no effective way to drain excess water during heavy rainfall.”

    The excessive rainfall has already resulted in an increase in tomato prices across the country.

    According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), the water availability in the country’s reservoirs is also improving.

    The CWC regularly monitors the water levels in 146 reservoirs across the country.

    These reservoirs include hydroelectric projects, with a total capacity to hold 178.185 billion cubic metres (BCM) of water.

    As of July 6, the live storage in these reservoirs was measured at 51.064 BCM, which is around 29 per cent of their total capacity.

    Although it is slightly lower than the water available during the same period last year (52.971 BCM), it is higher than the average storage of the last 10 years, which is 46.508 BCM.

    NEW DELHI: The bountiful rains in many parts of India in the first eight days of July have bridged the rainfall deficit for the entire country, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

    The cumulative rainfall in the monsoon season has reached 243.2 mm, which is 2 per cent above the normal of 239.1 mm.

    However, there are large-scale regional variations in rainfall. While the eastern and northeastern region has recorded a deficiency of 17 per cent (375.3 mm against a normal of 454 mm), north India has witnessed 59 per cent excess rainfall (199.7 mm against a normal of 125.5 mm), the latest IMD data showed.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Central India, where a large number of farmers rely on monsoonal rains, has recorded 264.9 mm rainfall against a normal of 255.1 mm, an excess of 4 per cent.

    The rainfall deficiency in south India has reduced from 45 per cent to 23 per cent. At the end of June, the cumulative rainfall for the entire country was 148.6 mm, 10 per cent below the normal precipitation. The deficit stood at 33 per cent on June 22.

    The IMD had earlier forecast normal rainfall in July, ranging from 94 to 106 per cent of the long-period average.

    However, below-normal precipitation is expected in many areas of northwest, northeast and southeast peninsular India.

    Northwest India saw above-normal rain in the pre-monsoon season due to higher-than-usual western disturbances — weather systems that originate in the Mediterranean region and bring unseasonal rainfall to the region.

    Cyclone Biparjoy played a role in delaying the monsoon onset over Kerala and the advance over southern India and the adjoining western and central parts of the country.

    However, its remnant brought heavy rainfall to parts of northwest and central India in the third week of June.

    An interaction between an active Western Disturbance and the monsoon trough has resulted in incessant rain since Saturday, causing flash floods and severe damage to infrastructure in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

    Delhi recorded 153 mm rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am on Sunday, the highest in a single day in July since 1982, and another 105 mm between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm.

    Chandigarh and Ambala reported a record rainfall of 322.2 mm and 224.1 mm respectively.

    According to experts, the late arrival of monsoon caused a delay in crop sowing by about two weeks in many parts of central India in June and the ongoing intense rain in north India is expected to have an impact on the cultivation of pulses and oilseed crops.

    GV Ramanjaneyulu, an agricultural scientist at the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture in Hyderabad, said in north India, where most of the irrigated areas grow paddy, the impact may not be significant.

    However, the cultivation of pulses, oilseeds and vegetables in certain parts of north and central India will likely be affected.

    He said heavy waterlogging or stagnant water for extended periods can negatively affect seed germination.

    Ramanjaneyulu said India lacks a proper water management system, specifically drainage infrastructure.

    “While there are irrigation networks, there is often no effective way to drain excess water during heavy rainfall.”

    The excessive rainfall has already resulted in an increase in tomato prices across the country.

    According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), the water availability in the country’s reservoirs is also improving.

    The CWC regularly monitors the water levels in 146 reservoirs across the country.

    These reservoirs include hydroelectric projects, with a total capacity to hold 178.185 billion cubic metres (BCM) of water.

    As of July 6, the live storage in these reservoirs was measured at 51.064 BCM, which is around 29 per cent of their total capacity.

    Although it is slightly lower than the water available during the same period last year (52.971 BCM), it is higher than the average storage of the last 10 years, which is 46.508 BCM.

  • Heavy rains: Lucknow schools, higher educational institutions to remain closed on Tuesday

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: With heavy rains lashing several parts of Uttar Pradesh, the Lucknow district administration has declared holiday for all schools and higher educational institutions on Tuesday.

    A statement issued by District Magistrate of Lucknow Suryapal Gangwar said that schools will remain closed on Tuesday.

    Citing a government order, the DM said all higher educational institutions will also remain closed on Tuesday.

    A state government official said higher educational institutions will remain closed in the districts where the authorities have declared holiday in view of heavy rains.

    Special Secretary, Higher Education Department, Manoj Kumar has said in an order sent to the Director of Higher Education and all the regional higher education officers that in view of the possibility of heavy rains in the state, District Magistrates of many districts have declared holidays in educational institutions and such orders issued by the district magistrates would also be applicable to higher educational institutions.

    Earlier on Sunday, the district authorities in Lucknow, Noida, Ghaziabad, Agra, Meerut, Aligarh, Mathura, Kanpur, Etah, Mainpuri and Firozabad had ordered closure of schools on Monday.

    Several parts of Uttar Pradesh continued to receive heavy rains on Monday.

    LUCKNOW: With heavy rains lashing several parts of Uttar Pradesh, the Lucknow district administration has declared holiday for all schools and higher educational institutions on Tuesday.

    A statement issued by District Magistrate of Lucknow Suryapal Gangwar said that schools will remain closed on Tuesday.

    Citing a government order, the DM said all higher educational institutions will also remain closed on Tuesday.

    A state government official said higher educational institutions will remain closed in the districts where the authorities have declared holiday in view of heavy rains.

    Special Secretary, Higher Education Department, Manoj Kumar has said in an order sent to the Director of Higher Education and all the regional higher education officers that in view of the possibility of heavy rains in the state, District Magistrates of many districts have declared holidays in educational institutions and such orders issued by the district magistrates would also be applicable to higher educational institutions.

    Earlier on Sunday, the district authorities in Lucknow, Noida, Ghaziabad, Agra, Meerut, Aligarh, Mathura, Kanpur, Etah, Mainpuri and Firozabad had ordered closure of schools on Monday.

    Several parts of Uttar Pradesh continued to receive heavy rains on Monday.

  • Accident or suicide? Noida police wonder after techie falls off ninth floor amid rain, dies

    By PTI

    NOIDA: A 42-year-old employee of a leading multinational firm here died Thursday after he allegedly fell off the balcony of his ninth-floor apartment amid rains, police said.

    The man had moved to Noida from Bengaluru earlier this month and was staying alone in the apartment in Grand Omaxe society in Sector 93B here, they said.

    It was not immediately clear whether it was an accident or suicide, an official said.

    “The local police were alerted around 5.30 pm about the man’s fall and his subsequent death. Police rushed to the spot and the body was taken to a hospital,” a police spokesperson said.

    Paramhans Tiwari, the in-charge of the local Phase 2 police station, said the deceased worked for a leading MNC at its office in Sector 126 here.

    “When enquired, a friend of his told police that he had moved to Noida on September 6. He was earlier living in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The deceased was also unwell for the last several days,” Tiwari told PTI.

    “It is yet to be ascertained if it was an accidental death or he deliberately jumped off the ninth-floor apartment,” he said, adding the body has been sent for post mortem.

    The MNC where the deceased worked has contacted and informed his family of the incident, he added.

    Noida, in the national capital region (NCR), witnessed heavy rainfall throughout Thursday.

    NOIDA: A 42-year-old employee of a leading multinational firm here died Thursday after he allegedly fell off the balcony of his ninth-floor apartment amid rains, police said.

    The man had moved to Noida from Bengaluru earlier this month and was staying alone in the apartment in Grand Omaxe society in Sector 93B here, they said.

    It was not immediately clear whether it was an accident or suicide, an official said.

    “The local police were alerted around 5.30 pm about the man’s fall and his subsequent death. Police rushed to the spot and the body was taken to a hospital,” a police spokesperson said.

    Paramhans Tiwari, the in-charge of the local Phase 2 police station, said the deceased worked for a leading MNC at its office in Sector 126 here.

    “When enquired, a friend of his told police that he had moved to Noida on September 6. He was earlier living in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The deceased was also unwell for the last several days,” Tiwari told PTI.

    “It is yet to be ascertained if it was an accidental death or he deliberately jumped off the ninth-floor apartment,” he said, adding the body has been sent for post mortem.

    The MNC where the deceased worked has contacted and informed his family of the incident, he added.

    Noida, in the national capital region (NCR), witnessed heavy rainfall throughout Thursday.

  • 13 killed in incidents of wall collapse in UP amid heavy rains

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW/UNNAO: Heavy rains brought down walls in parts of Uttar Pradesh on Friday, killing 13 people including nine labourers who were buried alive under the debris in the state capital.

    The state government has announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the families of the deceased.

    In Lucknow, an under-construction boundary wall of an Army enclave collapsed following overnight rains, leaving nine labourers dead and one injured, police said.

    “Some labourers were living in huts outside an Army enclave in the Dilkusha area. Owing to heavy overnight rains, the boundary wall of the Army enclave collapsed,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Piyush Mordia told PTI.

    “We reached the spot around 3 am. Nine bodies were pulled out from the debris. One person was rescued alive,” he said.

    District Magistrate Suryapal Gangwar said the injured has been admitted to Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee (Civil) Hospital. The deceased hailed from Jhansi district.

    President Droupadi Murmu, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident.

    “I am deeply saddened by the news of death of people due to a wall collapse in Lucknow. My condolences to the bereaved families. I wish the injured a speedy recovery,” Murmu tweeted in Hindi.

    In Unnao district, four people including two children died in wall collapse incidents in Kantha and Chandpur Jhalihai villages.

    In Kantha, three siblings — Ankit (20), Ankush (4) and Unnati (6) — died after a wall of their house collapsed due to overnight rains, said Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) Narendra Singh.

    According to the villagers, the incident took place between 2 am and 3 am when the parents of the deceased had come out to assess the damage caused to their house due to rains.

    In a similar incident, 66-year-old Bal Govind died in Chandpur Jhalihai village, Singh said. The bodies have been sent for a post-mortem examination, officials said.

    Chief Minister Adityanath has directed officials to provide financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased, his office said in a tweet in Hindi.

    In view of the heavy rains, Adityanath directed officials across districts to monitor relief work and ensure that financial help is provided to the affected swiftly, an official statement said.

    Financial assistance should also be provided to those whose houses have been damaged or animals have died, he said.

    The chief minister also ordered officials to conduct surveys to assess the damage caused to crops due to rains, the statement said.

    LUCKNOW/UNNAO: Heavy rains brought down walls in parts of Uttar Pradesh on Friday, killing 13 people including nine labourers who were buried alive under the debris in the state capital.

    The state government has announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the families of the deceased.

    In Lucknow, an under-construction boundary wall of an Army enclave collapsed following overnight rains, leaving nine labourers dead and one injured, police said.

    “Some labourers were living in huts outside an Army enclave in the Dilkusha area. Owing to heavy overnight rains, the boundary wall of the Army enclave collapsed,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Piyush Mordia told PTI.

    “We reached the spot around 3 am. Nine bodies were pulled out from the debris. One person was rescued alive,” he said.

    District Magistrate Suryapal Gangwar said the injured has been admitted to Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee (Civil) Hospital. The deceased hailed from Jhansi district.

    President Droupadi Murmu, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident.

    “I am deeply saddened by the news of death of people due to a wall collapse in Lucknow. My condolences to the bereaved families. I wish the injured a speedy recovery,” Murmu tweeted in Hindi.

    In Unnao district, four people including two children died in wall collapse incidents in Kantha and Chandpur Jhalihai villages.

    In Kantha, three siblings — Ankit (20), Ankush (4) and Unnati (6) — died after a wall of their house collapsed due to overnight rains, said Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) Narendra Singh.

    According to the villagers, the incident took place between 2 am and 3 am when the parents of the deceased had come out to assess the damage caused to their house due to rains.

    In a similar incident, 66-year-old Bal Govind died in Chandpur Jhalihai village, Singh said. The bodies have been sent for a post-mortem examination, officials said.

    Chief Minister Adityanath has directed officials to provide financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased, his office said in a tweet in Hindi.

    In view of the heavy rains, Adityanath directed officials across districts to monitor relief work and ensure that financial help is provided to the affected swiftly, an official statement said.

    Financial assistance should also be provided to those whose houses have been damaged or animals have died, he said.

    The chief minister also ordered officials to conduct surveys to assess the damage caused to crops due to rains, the statement said.

  • 13 people killed in Meghalaya landslides, floods continue to ravage Assam

    By Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: Thirteen persons were killed in the rain-induced landslides in Meghalaya on Friday.

    The deaths were reported from three districts – East Khasi Hill, South West Khasi Hills and South Garo Hills. One of the victims was a BSF jawan. Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma mourned the deaths.

    “Pained to learn about the death of 7 individuals in Mawsynram Block, #EastKhasiHills District due to landslides & 2 deaths in #SouthWestKhasiHills District (1 civilian & 1 @BSF_Meghalayajawan),” he tweeted about the latest incidents.

    Earlier in the day, four persons died in two incidents of landslides in South Garo Hills. In one of the incidents, three members of a family, including a minor, had lost their lives.

    Several roads in the state were either damaged or washed away by the rains and the landslides.

    The movement of vehicles from Assam’s Brahmaputra valley to Barak valley in the state remained disrupted following landslides in Meghalaya through which the road passes.

    Meanwhile, the floods continued to ravage neighbouring Assam.

    A flood bulletin issued by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority on Friday said over 11 lakh people across 25 districts of the state had been affected by the second wave of the floods.

    Cropland affected was in areas of 20,141.99 hectares. Since May, 45 persons have lost their lives – 34 in floods and 11 in landslides.

    Rivers such as Brahmaputra, Kopili, Jia Bharali, Puthimari, Manas and Beki were in a spate, flowing above the danger level. Several areas of Guwahati, Rangiya and Nalbari remained inundated.

    The National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force were among agencies engaged in the rescue and evacuation of the marooned.

    The Regional Meteorological Centre issued a warning for thunderstorm with lightning and extremely heavy rain at isolated places in parts of the Northeast.

  • Monsoon enters north-east, heavy rains likely in Assam, Meghalaya 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: After a brief lull, the Bay of Bengal arm of the south-west monsoon has stirred into action and entered north-eastern parts of the country and is set to bring heavy rains over Assam and Meghalaya over the next two days, the IMD said Thursday.

    “Southwest monsoon has further advanced into some parts of northwest Bay of Bengal, some more parts of northeast & eastcentral Bay of Bengal and most parts of Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland,” the India Meteorological Department said.

    On Wednesday, the monsoon had covered Bengaluru, Chikmagluru, Karwar.

    Under the influence of monsoonal westerly winds from the Arabian Sea over the south peninsular India, the weather office has forecast fairly widespread rainfall over coastal and south Interior Karnataka, Kerala, Mahe and Lakshadweep and over the next five days.

    It has also forecast isolated to scattered rains over Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, North Interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal during next five days.

    Maximum temperatures have been rising gradually over northwest India and the weather office has issued heatwave warnings over Rajasthan, south Punjab and south Haryana over the next two days.

    The weather office had upgraded its forecast for a normal monsoon this year on Monday. It said that monsoon rains would be fairly well-distributed across the country, except in north-eastern parts of the country and extreme south-western peninsula.

    The IMD had announced the onset of monsoon over Kerala on May 29, three days ahead of the normal onset date of June 1.