IMD issues red alert in Delhi as rains batter North India; Punjab schools, colleges shut till Sep 7

New Delhi: The weather department has warned of heavy showers lashing several parts of the national capital, where skies remained overcast in the afternoon, and many areas received intermittent rains.

The city recorded a minimum temperature of 22.8 degrees Celsius, 2.8 degrees below normal. The relative humidity at 8.30 am was 97 per cent.

Its primary weather station at Safdarjung reported 19.8 mm of rain in the 24 hours ending 8.30 am. Palam recorded 9.1 mm, Lodhi Road 11.4 mm, Ridge 28.2 mm, and Ayanagar 5.7 mm of rainfall.

The central, east, northeast, Shahdara, south and southeast Delhi are under a red alert for showers, according to the IMD.

On the other hand, New Delhi, north, northwest, southwest and west Delhi, as well as Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Gurugram in the National Capital Region have been placed under an orange alert.

In an update on X, the weather department said, "Thunderstorm and lightning with heavy rain is very likely over parts of southeast Delhi, east Delhi, Shahdara, central Delhi, northeast Delhi, south Delhi, New Delhi, southwest Delhi, west Delhi, northwest Delhi and north Delhi."

"Thunderstorm and lightning with moderate rain is very likely over parts of southeast Delhi, Shahdara, south Delhi, New Delhi, southwest Delhi, west Delhi, northwest Delhi and north Delhi. Light rain and light thunderstorm with lightning is very likely over parts of south Delhi," it added.

Punjab too has been battling  its worst deluge since 1988, as all 23 districts of the state have been hit and 30 lives lost so far. A fresh spell of heavy rains compounded the flood situation with rescue and relief operations underway on a war footing as help poured in from several quarters for over 3.50 lakh people desperately looking for succour.

Following heavy rains, an alert has been sounded in Rupnagar and Patiala districts, urging people to remain vigilant, while all schools, colleges and universities have been closed till September 7.

With rains refusing to relent in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, the already swollen Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers originating in the Himalayas and seasonal rivulets inundated towns, villages and agricultural lands, upending normal life.

Rains in Punjab have aggravated the flood situation.

The water level in the Bhakra dam at 6 am was 1,677.84 feet, against its maximum capacity of 1,680 feet. The inflow in the dam was 86,822 cusecs while the outflow was 65,042 cusecs.

In view of heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh, the water discharge from the dam was being increased from 65,000 cusecs to 75,000 cusecs, officials said and warned that Nangal's villages may be inundated.

Rupnagar district administration asked people living near the Sutlej river to stay on alert in the wake of an increase in the discharge of water from the Bhakra dam.

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal will visit the flood-affected areas along with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday. He will take stock of the relief work being carried out in the state and interact with the affected people, said the party.

Manish Sisodia visited the flood-hit areas in Tarn Taran district while AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha announced providing Rs 3.25 crore from his Local Area Development Scheme fund for relief work.

Relief and rescue operations by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Army, Border Security Force, Punjab Police and district authorities are underway in the affected areas, officials said.

Punjab Cabinet Minister Harjot Bains appealed to Sri Anandpur Sahib residents living on riverbanks and low-lying areas to shift to safer places or relief camps.

He assured them that all arrangements have been made for them, and the Punjab government stands firmly with them in this time of crisis.

Meanwhile, the Patiala district administration also issued an alert for villages near the Ghaggar river in the Rajpura sub-division in the wake of heavy rains in the catchment areas.

According to officials, the water level of the Tangri river has risen close to the danger mark in Ambala and is expected to rise in Patiala following heavy rains in Ambala and Kala Amb.

In Mohali district, Khudda Lahora-Nada Road across Patiala Ki Rao in Nayagaon has been damaged by the deluge. Deputy commissioner Komal Mittal, along with Anandpur Sahib MP Malvinder Singh, supervised the repair of the damaged portion.