Flood situation in Uttar Pradesh worsened with rivers flowing above the danger mark, while rains returned to Mumbai amid intensifying monsoon situation throughout the country.
Nineteen deaths were reported in UP, as Ganga and Yamuna reached closer to danger marks in several places and Ghaghra, Sharda, Rapti, Saryu and other rivers crossed danger levels.
Overflowing Ganges submerged several Ashrams in the Sangam area of Allahabad and inundated the city’s low-lying areas, forcing hundreds to abandon their homes and take refuge in safer places.
The situation was particularly alarming in Lakhimpur-Kheri, Baharaich, Sambhal and Barabanki districts, reports said.
Four people were killed in house collapse incidents in Mathura and Agra districts, as death toll rose to 19 in the heavy rains that pounded the state for the past three days.
Heavy rain in Mumbai
Heavy rains that returned to Mumbai partially affected rail and road traffic on Tuesday, as the city’s major water source, Tulsi lake in Sanjay Gandhi National Park, began to overflow.
Reports said there was waterlogging and flooding in some parts of the Sindhudurg district that slowed-down traffic in Goa-Mumbai road. The rain had no impact on the rail traffic with trains on the Konkan Railways running on schedule.
Before the Tulsi overflow, which was observed from 6 am, the Powai lake that provides water for industrial areas began overflowing on July 2, allowing water to enter the Mithi river. Water storage in Vihar lake has also been considerable.
Main and Harbour lines of the city’s Central Railway experienced delays of five to 15 minutes as heavy rains continued throughout the afternoon on Tuesday. Roads experienced major pile up due to accident involving four cars on the Eastern Freeway and a morcha from Byculla to Azad Maidan.
Though waterlogging was reported from Bhiwandi and Ambernath, it was not reported to be serious. The Regional Meteorological Observatory in Mumbai predicted few showers over the city and the suburbs. They predicted heavy rains on south Konkan and Goa coast, asking fishermen not to venture into the Arabian Sea. "At present, Mumbai is witnessing moderate to heavy rains over several places. Moreover, weather conditions remain favourable for the rainy spell to continue throughout the day. This spell (of rain) is likely to stay at least for next 24 to 48 hours," skymetweater.com said.
Rajasthan situation
In Rajasthan, clear skies enabled rescue teams to shift people to safer places. Nearly 23 deaths due to drowning in overflowing rivers were reported in Sikar and Kota.
Social Justice Minister Arun Chatturvedi visited flood hit area in Karauli with a high-level deligation and directed his team for the immediate relief. Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje also directed collectors to distribute relief to flood victims immediately.
On Tuesday, rescue teams aided by the army continued pumping out the water at various inundated villages of Sikar and Karauli.
Overflowing water blocked major roads between Karauli to Dholpur and Karauli to Sawai Madhopur. Karauli district collector said people who whose houses have been flooded were shifted to government schools. However, rising water levels in Panchna dam has kept villagers in Karauli, Bharatpur and Dholpur districts on the edge.
Flash floods in Assam
In Assam, Guwahati was once again marooned due to flash floods on Tuesday. Overnight rains brought life to a standstill in the city, as floods affected 1.58 lakh people across the state and submerged six districts.
The Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger level in Jorhat and Dhubri, and its tributaries, the Dikhow, Dhansiri, Jai Bharali, Puthimari and Sankosh, are also in spate. Thirty relief camps in the state house nearly 7,000 people displaced by floods, as the SDRF and NDRF teams were dispatched to vulnerable areas.
Tamil Nadu
An upper-air cyclonic circulation over the Arabian Sea triggered rains on the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu on Monday night, throwing normal life out of gear in many places.