JOIN USNo respite from floods in UP
The situation in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi took a turn for the worse as major rivers continued to rise.
There was no respite from floods in Uttar Pradesh, especially in the eastern region.
The situation in Varanasi, where the Ganga was flowing one and a half metre above the danger mark and rising at the rate of one centimetre every hour, was described as alarming.
According to officials, around 5 lakh people have been affected by floods in Varanasi town and its adjoining areas. Around 15,000 people, who have been displaced, have taken shelter at flood relief camps.
Sources said that water from the Ganga had entered the markets in the famous Dashashwamedh Ghat besides many other localities. In some localities near the Varuna River, the flood waters had reached the first floor of the homes. Around 400 people were rescued by teams of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) in different parts of the town. Sources said that there was a shortage of essential articles, including drinking water, and the traders were charging inflated prices from the affected people.
Flood-affected people also held demonstration at the district magistrate’s bungalow in protest against the inadequate arrangements.
The situation in Allahabad, Ballia, Mirzapur and some other districts also remained grim. In Ballia, Ganga was flowing three metres above the danger mark. Hundreds of villages have been marooned in the districts.
About 2 lakh people have been affected by the floods in Ghazipur district. The authorities have issued an alert for over two dozen villages and have asked the residents to leave their homes. So far 32 people have lost their lives in flood-related incidents in different parts in the state.
Heavy rain to lash Gujarat
The Meteorological Department has forecast heavy rains over North and Central Gujarat in the next 48 hours, even as the Northern region received copious downpour in the last 24 hours, DHNS reports from Ahemdabad.
The weather bureau said rains would occur due to low pressure over South Rajasthan and associated upper air cyclonic circulation extending up to mid-tropospheric level.
In the last 24 hours, Radhanpur in Patan district and Modasa in Aravalli district recorded 188 mm and 171 mm rains respectively.