Rain Batters Gujarat, Lakhs Affected By Floods In Bihar, Andhra: 10 Facts

In Bihar, over 83.62 lakh people across 16 districts remained affected by the floods, while no new areas were hit by deluge in the past 24 hours, the Disaster Management Department said. Its bulletin reported the same figures as Saturday, saying 27 people have died.

The Ganga river continued to flow above the danger mark at Gandhi Ghat and Hathidah in Patna and Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district, according to the Water Resources Department. The water level of the river is witnessing a rising trend in Buxar, Digha, Gandhi Ghat, Hathidah and Kahalgaon while it has remained steady at Munger and Bhagalpur.

Torrential rains pounded several areas in Gujarat on Sunday, causing waterlogging and disruption to normal life. As rivers swelled and many lakes overflew, a high alert was sounded for 108 dams.Parts of Mehsana, Patan, Surat, Gir Somnath, Sabarkantha, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Aravalli and Surendranagar districts have been witnessing very heavy rainfall since Sunday morning. Low-lying areas in many districts were flooded after several dams and lakes started overflowing, officials said, adding that gates of many dams were opened.

Waterlogging caused by intense rains disrupted normal life in Gujarat’s Mehsana, Patan, Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. Kadi in Mehsana received 289 mm rainfall between 6 am and 4 pm on Sunday while Becharji, in the same district, received 224 mm of rains, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC). The meteorological department has predicted heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in many districts of north, south and east-central Gujarat and Saurashtra-Kutch region till Tuesday morning.

In Andhra Pradesh, there was no let-up yet in the flood situation in river Godavari. Normal life remained affected in island villages and the power supply is now shut off for more than a week now. Relief camps in the East and West Godavari districts continued to function where more than 60,000 people were sheltered.

In West Bengal, heavy to very heavy rain is likely in southern parts from Monday owing to the possible formation of a low-pressure area in north Bay of Bengal. Embankments of some rivers in coastal areas of South 24 Parganas district have been damaged by heavy rainfall and high tidal waves, leading agricultural fields being flooded. The weather office said an active monsoon in Gangetic West Bengal, coupled with the low pressure is likely to cause widespread rain in the region.

With a fresh low pressure area brewing over the Bay of Bengal, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to lash many parts of Odisha for at least four days, the Meteorological Centre said. In view of the forecast, the state government has asked the district administrations to remain prepared to deal with possible water-logging, landslides and flash floods.

Madhya Pradesh witnessed reduced rainfall activity on Sunday after a couple of days as a low-pressure area causing incessant showers moved towards Rajasthan. However, according to a weather department official, another low-pressure system is developing over the Bay of Bengal, which may revive the rainfall activity in the state by the end of this month, most likely by August 27-29.

The national capital experienced a cool and cloudy Sunday with the city recording traces of rainfall in a few areas and the maximum temperature settling at 34.2 degrees Celsius, the MeT department said. In Haryana and Punjab too, maximum temperatures hovered close to normal limits.

Two of the three floodgates of Chandigarh’s Sukhna Lake were opened on early Sunday after the water level reached the danger mark of 1,163 feet following heavy rainfall, officials said. Some low-lying areas, especially in Mohali district’s Zirakpur, were inundated after the release of water. Officials said two of the three floodgates of the lake were opened for the release of water, adding that villages around the Sukhna were alerted in advance.