Flood alert in Jammu as heavy rain lashes northern states
8 Aug 2016 11:16 PM GMT
River Tawi continues to flow above the danger mark in Jammu. The Vaishnodevi and the Amarnath yatras have been suspended following landslides triggered by heavy rains in the state.
The flood situation in Assam where 34 people have died so far improved on Sunday though Brahmaputra’s tributary Dhansiri is flowing above the danger mark at Numaligarh in Gola.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall occurred at isolated places of Rajasthan with Kota district recording the maximum of 19 cm rainfall followed by Aklera in Jhalawar where 16 cm rains occurred. Punjab and Haryana too received heavy showers.
Overnight rainfall in Jammu has wreaked havoc in most parts of the region.
Fatay Chand was killed when his house collapsed in the Parladpur in Mandal belt of Jammu region due to the incessant rainfall. In Doda district one Dost Mohammed was killed and four others were injured when their house collapsed.
A 10-year-old boy injured on Saturday on way to the Vaishnodevi shrine succumbed to injuries, taking the toll in the mishaps due to inclement weather to five.
The railway traffic on the Jammu Udhampur railway line was also affected as landslides blocked the railway track at several places near the Ramnagar station in the district. “Due to heavy rainfall, there are flash floods in the rivers in Jammu. Alert has been sounded,” Deputy Commissioner Jammu, Simrandeep Singh said.
The river Tawi is flowing at a danger level of 18-feet and river Chenab is flowing 33-feet above alert level, he said.
Reports of house collapse due to heavy rainfall are also pouring in from other districts of Jammu region as well. The heavy rainfall trigged massive landslides that briefly blocked the Jammu Srinagar National Highway that was later opened for vehicular traffic.
The flood situation in Bihar remained critical with 33 lakh people affected in 14 districts while four more deaths were reported Katihar district, the Disaster Management Department said.
Purnia district accounts for highest number of fatalities at 28 followed by Araria (21), Katihar (19), Supaul (8), Kishanganj (5), Gopalganj and Madhepura (4 each), Darbhanga (3) and Muzaffarpur, Saran and Saharsa (one each).
The spate in Mahananda, Bakhra, Kankai, Parmar, Koshi rivers have inundated parts of Purnia, Kishanganj, Araria, Darbhanga, Madhepura, Bhagalpur, Katihar, Saharsa, Supual, Gopalganj, East Champaran, West Champaran, Muzaffarpur and Saran districts affecting a staggering 33 lakh people.
The rivers Ganga and Ghaghra were flowing above danger mark in Bhagalpur and Siwan districts, while the Koshi too has breached the danger mark in Katihar and Khagaria districts.
Most parts of Bihar received light to moderate rainfall with the maximum temperature settling at 33 degrees Celsius. Light rain to thundershowers across the state with a generally cloudy sky area predicted in the state for the 24 hours.
Rain on Sunday lashed several parts of Punjab and Haryana, leading to drop in temperatures in the two states. Mercury in Chandigarh settled at 30 degrees Celsius. The MeT Department has warned of heavy rain at a few places in the two states over the next two days.
In UP, light rain occurred at isolated places in the eastern parts and at a few places in the western parts of the state.
Mahad tragedy: 2 more bodies found; toll climbs to 26
Two more bodies were on Sunday found in the search and rescue operations which continued for fourth day following the collapse of a bridge on Mumbai-Goa highway near Mahad in Raigad district, taking the death toll to 26. "During the course of rescue operations, officials have managed to recover two more bodies taking the death toll to 26. All the deceased have been identified," state disaster management cell director Suhas Diwase said.
While initially 42 people were feared missing, the authorities have no information and clarity yet on a Honda City car reportedly carrying four persons which is suspected to have also fallen in the river.
"Only once we know for sure that a Honda City car with four people went missing, we will be able to say 42 people are missing. For now, the number of missing people stands at 38," he said.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Coast Guard officials have so far been able to locate only a signboard of one of the missing state transport buses bearing the word 'reserved' on it.
Various techniques, including electronic sensors, fish finders (sonar devices), and massive magnets are being used to trace the metal bodies in the water.
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