Heavy rain battered several north Indian states late Saturday, causing severe waterlogging and flood-like situations. The worst-hit include Gujarat’s south and Saurashtra regions, Bhiwandi and Yavatmal towns in Maharastra and Uttarakhand. The continuous downpour has put the Delhi administration on its toes as Yamuna water levels once again crossed the danger mark.
The drains overflowed and water spilt onto roads, disrupting traffic. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel cut short his official programmes in Rajkot and reached the district collector’s office to review the situation in Junagadh.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall with isolated extremely heavy rainfall in south Gujarat and Saurashtra-Kutch districts till Sunday morning. A red alert has been issued for Junagadh, Jamnagar, Devbhumi Dwarka, Kutch, Surat, Valsad, Navsari and Surat. Heavy to very heavy rainfall will continue in many other districts of south Gujarat and Saurashtra-Kutch during the next three days, the IMD said.
Meanwhile, Bhiwandi in Maharashtra witnessed severe waterlogging resulting in many vehicles getting half-submerged. Yavatmal, which received 240 mm of rain on Saturday, too suffered huge damage. “219 people have been shifted who were stranded in various areas with the help of SDRF and IAF helicopter,” said Yavatmal district collector Amol Yedge.
The IMD has issued an ‘orange alert’ for Sunday in Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg districts, and a ‘yellow alert’ to Mumbai predicting heavy rainfall again.
The India Meteorological Department has predicted heavy to very heavy rain in parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand till July 25. The Delhi government is on high alert after the water level of Yamuna continues to rise. The water level of the river is at 205.75 m as of Sunday morning.
Revenue Minister Atishi warned on Saturday said the level could rise after 2 lakh cusecs of water were discharged from the Hathnikund Barrage into the Yamuna. “Some parts of Yamuna Khadar (floodplains) might get inundated if the water level in the river rises to 206.7 metres but the government is ready for evacuation,” she said in a statement.
According to Central Water Commission (CWC) data, the flow rate at the Yamunanagar-located Hathnikund Barrage crossed the 1 lakh-mark at 9 am and oscillated between 2 lakh and 2.5 lakh cusecs between 10 am and 4 pm.
