New Delhi:
Steady downpour led to a flood situation in parts of Odisha on Thursday while 19 people were saved from drowning in Jammu where major rivers are in spate due to incessant rain even as the IMD forecast intense rainfall in central and north India over the next four days. Over 83.62 lakh people continued to suffer due to the floods in Bihar with the Ganga flowing over the danger-mark at many places, however, the flood situation in Uttar Pradesh improved on Thursday as the number of districts affected by the deluge came down to 17 from 19, officials said.
Parts of the national capital too received rain in the evening bringing respite from the sultry weather while the maximum temperature settled two notches above average at 35.6 degrees Celsius. The water level of the Yamuna in Delhi rose slightly on Thursday morning and the river was flowing precariously close to the warning mark, officials said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely over east Madhya Pradesh and at isolated places over west Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha (Maharashtra) and Chhattisgarh on August 28. Heavy rainfall at isolated places is likely over Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, east Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Gujarat, Konkan, Goa and Telangana for August 28.
On August 29, heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places is likely over east Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Konkan, Goa while heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places over Uttarakhand, west Uttar Pradesh, east Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, west Rajasthan, the ghat areas of central Maharashtra. For August 30, there is a forecast of heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over east Rajasthan, Saurashtra and Kutch in Gujarat. Heavy rainfall at isolated places is expected over Uttarakhand, west Uttar Pradesh, west Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Kerala and Mahe.
Heavy rainfall at isolated places is also likely over Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal and Kerala Mahe on August 31. In Odisha, the heavy rain was triggered by a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal as major rivers including Baitarani, Brahmani, Subarnarekha and Budhabalanga were in spate with their water flowing above the danger-mark, submerging low-lying areas and paddy fields in several districts.
The state recorded an average rainfall of 55.8 mm since Wednesday, the state’s Disaster Management Minister Sudam Marndi said. Heavy showers also wreaked havoc in West Bengal as low-lying areas in Kolkata and the coastal districts of the state were inundated, officials said.
Several thoroughfares were waterlogged in different parts of Kolkata due to the showers that began on Wednesday evening. However, there were no traffic snarls in the metropolis as COVID-19-related restrictions were in place. Many low-lying areas in Ghatal in West Midnapore district and Khanakul in Hooghly, and some places in South 24 Parganas district were submerged owing to the heavy overnight rains.
In Madhya Pradesh, the IMD issued a red alert stating extremely heavy rainfall is very likely in four districts of the eastern part of the state, where monsoon activities have revived in the last 24 hours. It also issued an orange alert warning that very heavy rainfall along with thunderstorm and lightning is likely at isolated places in 12 districts. Besides, the yellow alert forecast heavy rainfall and thunderstorm with lightning at isolated places in four districts.
The Met office issues colour-coded warnings to alert people ahead of severe or hazardous weather that has the potential to cause damage, widespread disruption or danger to life. Orange is for weather conditions that have the capacity to impact significantly, while yellow, the least dangerous of all the weather warnings, indicates the possibility of severe weather.
Meanwhile, heavy rainfall over the last two days in Kashmir brought respite from the rising temperatures. Srinagar city recorded a maximum temperature of 35.7 degrees Celsius on August 17 which was the hottest August day in the last 39 years.
However, the rains have brought down the temperature with the city recording the maximum of 22.6 degrees Celsius on Wednesday which is 13 degrees lower than what it recorded on August 17, the officials said. In Jammu, security forces acted swiftly to save 19 stranded people from drowning in different water bodies in Kathua and Poonch districts as major rivers and streams are in spate due to incessant rains over the last three days.
The people were saved from three different marooned locations – seven of them from near Dhaloti in Kathua district, eight stranded due to a swollen stream in Gursai area of Poonch district, and four trapped on an island at Khanetar-Salotri area, also in Poonch. Light to moderate rain occurred at some places in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday. The Met centre forecast showers to continue in the hill-state till September 2 but issued a yellow warning for August 28 for heavy rain with thunderstorm and lightning at isolated places in low and middle hills. In Haryana and Punjab, the maximum temperatures settled within normal limits on Thursday.
Chandigarh, Patiala and Hisar received rains during the day, the Met department said..
