The Centre on Friday issued a warning that the water levels of some rivers were likely to rapidly rise following the Meteorological Department’s prediction of very heavy rainfall in six states over the next two days. The rainfall is likely to reduce only after July 30, the weather department said.
The water levels of the rivers in Sone basin, Ken Betwa basin, Chambal basin, Sabarmati and Narmada basins among others are expected to rise, the Ministry of Water Resources said in a statement. “Heavy to very heavy with extremely heavy falls are likely in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra,” it added.
“Since sufficient storage is available, no releases may be required from these reservoirs presently in view of less rainfall predictions from July 29,” it said. However, the Kadana, Dharoi and Dantewada reservoirs in Gujarat have reached the near Full Reservoir Level, the ministry said. “Strict vigilance is required to release water in regulated manner based on inflow forecast,” it added.
Meanwhile, torrential rains have killed at least 300 people in several states across the country, the National disaster Management Authority told Reuters. The deluge has hit cotton and millet farms in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Flash floods had led to the deaths of over 800 cows at cattle sheds in Rajasthan’s Jalore and Sirohi districts, The Times of India reported. Over 4,000 cows are reported to be in a critical condition.
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