Rain raises spectre of floods

Several rivers in North India flowing at danger level

Rain in parts of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh in the past 72 hours has again raised the spectre of floods in the region.

With the water level rising in rivers and reservoirs in the region due to heavy rain in the catchment areas, excess water had to be released from the Bhakra dam reservoir, one of the biggest dams in the country built on the river Sutlej, and Hathnikund barrage in Haryana which is built on the Yamuna river.

Authorities fear that release of excess water into Yamuna could lead to flooding in parts of  Delhi. At least 50 villages in Sonepat district of Haryana faced flood threats from a rising Yamuna. Many villagers have been shifted to safer places.
About 16,000 cusecs of water was released from the Bhakra dam reservoir on Saturday after the water level reached 1,670 feet, barely 10 feet less than the maximum reservoir capacity.

The MeT forecast heavy rainfall at few places in the region on Sunday. Heavy rain lashed Himachal Pradesh resulting in collapse of houses across the state and triggering a massive landslide on the Pathankot-Jogindernagar national highway.
Link roads in interior areas of Kangra, Sirmaur, Mandi and Shimla were badly damaged following the downpour.

All major rivers and their tributaries were flowing close to danger mark while low-lying areas in Kangra district were submerged under water.

Two dead
Two persons died and three others were injured in Rajasthan’s capital city Jaipur when the wall of a roadside eatery collapsed  following incessant rain.

South West monsoon was aggressive over the state with Churu recording maximum rainfall of 9 cm followed by Bundi and Sikar at 4 cm each. A flood alert was issued in over a dozen villages in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district after excessive water was discharged from Tajewala barrage in Haryana into Yamuna river.

Incessant rains continued to lash Uttarakhand triggering landslides and Ganga, Yamuna and its tributaries flowing at danger level in most of the areas in the state. A red-alert has been issued in the entire state in view of the continuous rains. According to a Met forecast, moderate to rather heavy rain  would continue to lash Uttarakhand on Sunday. Rain lashed the national capital for the second consecutive day resulting in traffic jams and water-logging across the city.
DHNS and Agencies