JOIN USThe death toll in rain-related incidents rose by three each in Assam and Uttar Pradesh (UP) on Monday. The overall situation in Uttar Pradesh is grim. Three more deaths have pushed the flood toll to 72, the state relief commissioner’s office said.
Over 20 lakh people have been hit by the current spell of floods in 24 districts of the state. 2,688 villages are under water.
A flood report said 43,602 people have take shelter in relief camps in the affected districts of eastern UP, whipped by the raging waters of the rivers emanating from Nepal.
Army choppers, NDRF and PAC (flood) jawans continued relief and rescue operations round-the-clock in the severely hit areas of the flood-affected districts of the state.
The release of water in the rivers emanating from Nepal and incessant rain impeded rescue work and evacuation of people to safer areas.
Twenty-one companies of the NDRF, 30 of the PAC (flood), two choppers of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and several columns of the army were working day and night to save lives and properties in the affected areas.
A Central Water Commission report said the Sharda was flowing above the danger mark at Palia Kalan and near the danger mark at Shardanagar while the Ghaghra was flowing above the red mark at Elgin Bridge, Ayodhya and Turtipar (Ballia).
Three more lives were lost in Assam floods while 12 districts continued to be affected.
Two persons drowned in Darrang and one in Kokrajhar of lower Assam, pushing the death toll in the second wave of floods in the state to 70, an Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) report said.
Altogether 14.36 lakh people are bearing the brunt of the flooding in the 12 affected districts.
Water is receding from human habitation and agricultural fields though over 76,000 hectares of farmland with standing crops is still inundated in the 12 districts, the report said.
More than 46,000 people are taking shelter in 125 relief camps.
The floods have damaged embankments, roads and bridges in Dhemaji and Dhubri districts, the ASDMA said.
The floodwaters have claimed the lives of 215 animals, including 13 rhinos and a tiger, at the Kaziranga National Park in Assam, a senior forest official said.
Due to the flooding, the animals at the UNESCO World Heritage Site are facing a food shortage within the park, compelling them to go to the nearby hills, tea gardens and even human habitations in search of food, KNP Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Rohoni Ballav Saikia said.
Situation in WB
Floods in West Bengal have claimed 152 lives so far and affected around 1.5 crore people, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday.
The state has suffered a loss of around Rs 14,000 crore due to the deluge, she said.
The state government, Mamata said, would send a report on the flood situation to the Centre and hoped that it would get its “justified dues”.
“I heard that the Centre has provided financial assistance of Rs 2,000 crore to Assam and also to Gujarat. I do not have any problem in that. I want that every state must get aid,” she said.
“The damage casued in West Bengal is no less than what happened in Gujarat and Assam. We will send a total report on the flood to the Centre and hope that we will get what we deserve,” the chief minister said. She said around 152 people have lost their lives in the recent floods in West Bengal and 1.5 crore people have been affected.
Heavy rain in Chandigarh
Heavy rain lashed capital city Chandigarh and parts of adjoining areas in satellite townships of Panchkula and Mohali this morning leaving commuters in swamped in deep waters on several roads.
Life in the tricity was paralysed. There was power failure and traffic snarls on roads. A flood-like situation prevailed with cars parked on roads submerged in water. Monday’s downpour was heavy, like the recent one in Bengaluru where it broke a century old record.
In Chandigarh, a downpour of 112 mm was recorded up to 11 am when rainfall receded, sources said. Parts of Punjab and Haryana, too, experienced showers on Monday.
There was water logging in several area of Chandigarh. Videos of parked cars floating in water went viral. The Chandigarh traffic chief was out on the streets making a futile attempt to manage the chaos. Monsoon in this part has remained erratic and subdued. But Monday was an exception. Low-lying areas were badly affected. People posted visuals of knee-deep water flooding their drawing rooms and bedrooms in certain parts of the city.
DHNS & PTI