JOIN USMonsoon rain continued to lash northern and western parts of the country, worsening the flood situation in Uttar Pradesh and Kerala and continuing to affect normal life in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Major rivers were in spate in UP, displacing people and destroying crops in several districts. Flood waters cut off several villages in nearly half a dozen districts, prompting authorities to move people there to safer places.
The rising Sharda river has enveloped at least two villages in Sitapur district, submerging large tracts of land, while sadhus abandoned their Ashrams in Ayodhya and fled the waters of the Sarayu flowing into the town, according to reports.
The Ganga has crossed the danger mark in Kanpur, threatening the city’s low lying areas. People have been asked to leave vulnerable areas and reach safer places, as authorities launched rescue operations.
Officials also said breaches in the Ghaghra river threatened several villages in Gonda district.
Death toll in the state reached 170, many died due to lightning strikes and house collapses. Nearly 500 cattle have also perished in the flood. Companies of the Provincial Arms Constabulary have been pressed into service at many places to rescue marooned people. Meanwhile, fishermen along Gujarat-Maharashtra-Goa coastline have been warned not to venture out into the sea with wind speed hovering between 45 to 50 kmph and gusts reaching around 65 kmph.
The coastal belt will also witness heavy rainfall in the next 72 hours. Besides the Konkan region, south Gujarat, Saurashtra and Goa will also receive heavy rains. Community project officers and public services authorities have been put on alert. The weather bureau also predicted that Vidarbha region will also have heavy rainfall for the next 72 hours.
While Mumbai city witnessed occasional rain and drizzle, interiors like Marathwada, parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat experienced heavy rainfall. In Kerala, The south-west monsoon stayed active in many parts on Friday with 10 Met Department stations recording heavy rainfall.
Irikkur, Thaliparamba, Kozhikode, Vadakara, Koyilandy, Ottappalam, Kannur, Thalassery, Mananthavadi and Vythiri reported heavy (seven cm and more) rainfall.
Since June 1, the state has received a cumulative rainfall of 1794.4 mm against the normal rainfall for the period – 1278 mm – registering a 40 per cent high. The Meteorological Centre in Thiruvananthapuram has predicted heavy rainfall in isolated areas till Sunday.
Water levels in the reservoirs had significant increase due to the excess rains, with the State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC) figures suggesting that 3071.948 million units of power can be generated with current levels in the 16 reservoirs.
The corresponding figure for last year – that recorded the worst inflow of the past six years – was 807.72 mu. The state can generate a maximum of 4140 mu of power from these reservoirs. Water level at Idukki, Kerala’s largest reservoir, was at 2376.8 feet (at 71 per cent storage) on Thursday. Pamba (75 per cent) and Idamalayar (81 per cent) are among major reservoirs with high water levels.