Rains continued in various parts of the country with cloud bursts from Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir and heavy rains that overflowed rivers in Uttarakhand. Some cities in Gujarat such as Rajkot and Gir Somnath are inundated, even as the India Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rains in western and central India over the next four days.
At least 16 people have died in Maharashtra due to rain-related incidents in Vidarbha in the last 10 days, including three in Yavatmal district, state relief and rehabilitation minister Anil Patil said. In Karnataka, two people died and 15 others were injured in Belagavi district due to heavy rainfall since Tuesday and water flowing in from Maharashtra.
Read on Rain outbreak in Gujarat: ‘Heavy’ rain to continue for next 24 hours; An orange alert has been issued
In Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, the severity of the rains on Sunday was muted compared to Friday night and Saturday, although large parts of the two Himalayan states were off limits to travel due to landslides affecting around 700 roads in Himachal Pradesh and 330 in Uttarakhand.
Major rivers in the two states, such as the Ganga in Uttarakhand and the Sutlej in Himachal Pradesh, continue to swell. “Further rains expected in the next four days may worsen the situation,” said an official of the Himachal Disaster Management Department on condition of anonymity.
In Jammu and Kashmir, a cloudburst was reported from Keran sector in Kupwara. Kupwara Chief Agriculture Officer Gurdeep Singh said there were no casualties or damage.
In Gujarat, flood waters receded in Junagadh district on Sunday as authorities evacuated around 3,000 people to safer places. The Met office issued an orange alert for Gujarat, saying the state was expected to receive “heavy to very heavy rainfall” on July 24. It has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places, with isolated very heavy rainfall over Devbhoomi Dwarka, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Valsad districts during the next 24 hours.
In Rajasthan, moderate rainfall was reported in southwestern and western districts, while heavy rainfall in Jodhpur led to waterlogging in Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s home town. “Monsoon will remain active for the next three to four days, after which it will taper off,” said Radhe Shyam Sharma, director of the Meteorological Department in the state capital Jaipur. “A low pressure area has formed over West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh to West Rajasthan, resulting in good rainfall in the state.”
Maharashtra, where around 4,500 houses have been damaged due to heavy rains, is on high alert to deal with problems caused by excessive rainfall, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Sunday. Heavy rains may occur in the state for the next four days
(Tagsto)Rain