NDMA issues heavy rain alert across south, east and central India

Heavy rains are expected to lash several parts of India on Friday, August 10, warned the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

“Heavy rain likely in Uttarakhand, West MP, Arunachal, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Coastal & South Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Kerala. Rough sea conditions are likely to prevail over west central Arabian Sea. Fishermen are advised not to venture into this area,” tweeted the NDMA.

Earlier, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), warned of heavy rain across south India, the eastern parts of Central India and Bay of Bengal coasts.

“The rainfall during August 2018 is likely to be 96 ± 9% of LPA and expected to be higher than predicted in June. A Low pressure area formed over northwest Bay of Bengal & neighbourhood subsequently concentrated into a Depression and crossed north West Bengal coasts and weakened into a Well Marked Low Pressure Area & neighbourhood at the end of the week. It widespread to widespread rainfall activity with heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy falls over eastern parts of Central India,” said the Met department.

At least one person was killed and another went missing in separate incidents in Uttarakhand over the past 24 hours as intermittent showers continued to lash various parts of the state on Thursday. The current spell of rain in Uttarakhand, which has stretched beyond a week, has blocked more than a 100 big and small roads.

Meanwhile, the death toll increased to 26 in rain-battered Kerala due to flooding and landslides caused by the torrential downpour in the state. Large-scale damage has also been reported from various parts of the state. More than 10,000 people have been shifted to 157 relief camps across the state in the last two days, the government said.

In an unprecedented development, shutters of 24 dams in different parts of the state have been opened. Heavy rainfall also occurred at isolated places over Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. The bad weather is likely to continue over the next 24 to 72 hours.

Heavy rainfall is also expected in several places in Northeast India including Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, a few places in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam & Meghalaya, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim, isolated places in Bihar.