Weather LIVE Updates: 12 Dead in UP, 18 in Pb & Hry; Delhi Traffic Hit as River Yamuna Swells, Advisory Issued

“Light rain is likely to occur in a few places in Andhra Pradesh in the next three days. Heavy rain is likely in many districts of the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh after three days,” said Sunanda, MD, Visakhapatnam Cyclone Warning Centre, IMD said on Wednesday.

Kullu: BJP leader and former Himachal Pradesh CM Jairam Thakur visited Kullu district & reviewed the situation of the flood-affected areas on Wednesday.

Traffic movement is closed on Bhairon Road due to overflow of drain water near the Railway Under Bridge, Delhi traffic police said in an advisory. Asked commuters to avoid the stretch.

Due to the rise in the water level of Yamuna and the consequent inundation of low-lying areas, traffic movement is affected on several roads in Delhi. Traffic police issues advisory for commercial vehicles. These vehicles will be regulated in areas as follows–

• Non-destined commercial vehicles will not be allowed to enter Delhi and will be diverted to Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressway.
• Commercial vehicles will be diverted from Mukarba Chowk. No commercial vehicles will be allowed between Mukarba Chowk and Wazirabad Bridge.
• Commercial vehicles will be diverted from Sarai Kale Khan. No commercial vehicles will be allowed between Sarai Kale Khan and IP Flyover.
• Commercial vehicles will be diverted from Ghazipur border.
• Commercial vehicles will be diverted from Akshardham towards DND.
• No commercial vehicles will be allowed between Akshardham and Sarai Kale Khan.
  

Rain-battered Himachal Pradesh’s cold desert Lahaul-Spiti received 3,200 per cent excess rains and a minimum of 500 per cent excessive rainfall was witnessed in Kinnaur, an another high-altitude district.

These facts came to light at a meeting of the Department of Revenue and the Disaster Management Cell chaired by Principal Secretary, Revenue, Onkar Chand Sharma here regarding the prevailing situation in the state. Lahaul and Spiti are populated mainly by Buddhists, who breed sheep and goats and do agriculture.

The government has restored 2,800 of the total 4,800 affected water supply schemes. Similarly, most of the water pumping schemes have also been restored. Around 885 JCBs, tractors, tippers and dozers have been deployed to restore road connectivity as 33 bridges were damaged and washed away and over 1,100 roads were obstructed, an official statement said.

One person was electrocuted while wading through a waterlogged street in a residential colony, while three bodies were found floating in water on Wednesday, police said.

Ambala district is the worst hit in Haryana, which was pounded by heavy rains between Saturday and Monday.

A man was electrocuted when he came in contact with a live wire while crossing a waterlogged street in Shalimar Colony in Ambala Cantonment, the police said. READ MORE

Although the evacuation efforts and road opening work have gained pace, thousands of tourists are still stuck at various places in rain-battered Himachal Pradesh, according to reports.

With over 850 roads still blocked, a large number of tourists have extended their stay in accommodations where they are residing or waiting for the situation to get better.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday called the evacuation of stranded tourists from Chandertal in Lahaul and Spiti a “challenging task”. READ MORE

As the water level in the swollen Yamuna reached an all-time high, the Ring Road in the Civil Lines area and the stretch connecting Majnu ka Tila with Kashmiri Gate ISBT have been flooded.  This place is barely 500 meters from the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The water level in Yamuna in Delhi was 208.46 meters at 7 am on Wednesday as the Hathnikund barrage in Haryana continues to release water into the river.

As the water level of River Yamuna breached the mark of the 208-meter on Wednesday at 10 pm, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal chaired an emergency meeting with cabinet ministers and requested people residing in the flood-prone areas to move to a safer place as their “lives are most important”.

Addressing the media after the meeting, he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI, “The water level of the Yamuna River in Delhi has reached 207.71 metres, which is the highest ever. Delhi has not received rainfall in the last 2-3 days. Water is entering Delhi from Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. Regarding this, I have also written a letter to Union HM Amit Shah requesting him to reduce the flow of water entering Delhi, only then we can stop the Yamuna River from overflowing. I request everyone to vacate their homes in the low-lying areas. There are several places affected by the rise in the level of water in Yamuna River.” READ MORE

Due to the rise in the water level of Yamuna and the consequent inundation of low-lying areas, traffic movement is affected on several roads in Delhi. Traffic police issues advisory. 

As the weather improved in parts of north India after days of heavy rains, authorities on Wednesday worked on a war footing to rescue stranded tourists, restore vehicular traffic on arterial roads and prevent floodwaters from entering new areas. Twelve people died in Uttar Pradesh in rain-related incidents within a span of 24 hours ending 8 pm on Wednesday, while 18 have died in Punjab and Haryana so far, according to official data.

As many as 2,000 tourists stranded in Himachal Pradesh’s Kasol were evacuated and more than 300 tourist vehicles stuck in Lahaul following landslides and flash floods left for their respective destinations, the state government said.

In Delhi, the Yamuna swelled to 207.83 metres on Wednesday, breaching its all-time high of 207.49 metres recorded in 1978, according to government agencies.

As the water level of the Yamuna in Delhi breached the all-time record of 207.49 metres set 45 years ago, experts attributed the situation to the encroachment of floodplains, extreme rainfall in a short duration, and the accumulation of silt, which elevated the riverbed.

At 1 pm, the river swelled to 207.55 metres, surpassing the previous record set in 1978, and causing further inundation of areas near the floodplains. READ MORE

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday conducted an aerial survey of areas affected by three days of incessant downpour and announced Rs 4 lakh ex gratia to the kin of those who died in rain-related incidents.

Financial assistance will also be provided to the poor and others whose houses have been affected by the rain, he said.

After reaching Ambala, where Khattar was accompanied by Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij, the chief minister held a meeting with the district administration officials.

Six more deaths due to rain-related incidents were reported in Punjab and Haryana on Wednesday, while authorities in the two states focused on relief operations as the weather cleared after days of heavy rains.

The death toll now stands at 21, including 10 in Haryana, according to government data.

Overall, 14 districts have been affected in Punjab and seven in Haryana.

As heavy rains in north India have caused massive destruction, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday reiterated his request to people to avoid unnecessary travel in view of incessant rains in the state. However, some people were seen endangering their lives by travelling on debris-filled and landslides-prone roads. One such incident was witnessed on the Gangotri National Highway in Uttarakhand when people were caught risking their lives by crossing the damaged road.

“Our government has issued disaster relief numbers to help the people of Uttarakhand who are stranded in different places of the state and in Himachal Pradesh,” Dhami said in a tweet. READ MORE

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee is helping people affected by floods by organising langars and providing necessary items through gurdwaras in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, an official said on Wednesday.

SGPC secretary Partap Singh also said food from langars and help is also being provided to people stranded at stations, including here, after train movement was affected due to floods, and to those whose house were damaged. The SGPC secretary said medical teams in three ambulances from the Sri Guru Ramdas Charitable Hospital, Vallah, are also providing health services in different areas in Punjab.

He said that due to the floods, many devotees who went for paying obeisance at different the gurdwaras in Himachal Pradesh are stuck, and the SGPC is also working to help them.

Three people drowned in Khoh River Pauri district as rains continued to lash parts of Uttarakhand on Wednesday. The incident happened on Tuesday night when a car lost control and fell into the river in Kotdwar area of the district. While three car occupants drowned in the river, two others came out of the vehicle on time, police said.

The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has recovered the body of one of the victims — Muhammad Israr (35), a resident of Kiratpur area in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district, they said.

Many routes in the state, including national highways, have been closed due to landslides following incessant rains, affecting normal life as well as the Chardham Yatra. The Badrinath National Highway in Chamoli district has been closed at five places between Chamoli and Joshimath due to landslides.

As the intensity of rains reduced in North India, the focus shifted on rescue and relief operations to deal with the damage that monsoon continues to shower on the residents. Thousands were evacuated in Delhi, where a red alert was sounded after the Yamuna river breached the 208-meter mark on Wednesday night, much earlier than anticipated.

In Himachal, 88 people have lost their lives, 16 are missing and 100 have been injured till date due to the rains. At least 492 animals have also died across the state. READ MORE