Several parts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh continued to remain inundated on Tuesday as the toll in rain-related incidents since last week rose to 151, PTI reported. At least 111 people have died in Uttar Pradesh, while 40 deaths have been reported from Bihar.
“The trough [an elongated area of relatively low atmospheric pressure] extending upto 3.1 km above mean sea level from cyclonic circulation over Punjab to south Assam across Haryana, west Uttar Pradesh, cyclonic circulation over southeast Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and sub-Himalayan West Bengal persists,” said the India Meteorological Department.
According to the Met department, this year India has received the highest rainfall in 25 years. It has also predicted that the monsoon season will end around October 10.
Bihar
The state’s capital city Patna and 12 other districts have been lashed by torrential rain in the last few days. The state disaster management authority said 40 people were killed in several rain-related accidents, The Indian Express reported. The state has recorded 370 mm rain between Saturday and Monday morning, with Patna alone receiving 91 mm rain in 24 hours.
The weather department said seven districts were expected to receive heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours. “Since yesterday 6,000 to 7,000 people including the elderly and patients have been rescued from the area,” ANI quoted National Disaster Response Force Commandant Vijay Sinha as saying. “We are now concentrating on distribution of relief materials.”
Around 50 rescue personnel, along with teams of the State Disaster Response Force, are involved in the rescue and relief work. Electricity and water supply are unavailable in several areas of Patna. The government has arranged for two Indian Air Force helicopters to drop food packets in the affected areas.
The state government has been working to provide basic supplies of food and drinking water to locals, ANI reported. It is also trying to restore electricity in flood-hit areas.
The National Crisis Management Committee, headed by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, met on Tuesday to assess the flood situation in the state.
Uttar Pradesh
Several areas of the state are expected to receive thunderstorms on Tuesday, Lucknow Meteorological Centre said, according to ANI. Fifteen deaths and six injuries have been reported in the eastern part of the state in the last one day, according to officials.
“Rain or thundershowers and lightning is likely to occur today during next three hours at Agra, Firozabad, Etawah, Auraiya, Jalaun, Kannauj, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur Nagar, Unnao, Bijnor and its adjoining areas.” said the weather agency.
State Relief Commissioner GS Priyadarshi said 294 homes have been damaged in heavy rain. The government is in contact with the weather department and district officials to bring relief to people in water-logged areas, he added.
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