Heavy rains lash parts of north, east India, red alert issued for Rajasthan

New Delhi: Many people lost their lives in rain-related incidents in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal where torrential rainfall for the last two days threw life out of gear.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a 'red alert' in Rajasthan, predicting very heavy rains in many districts of the state, while it issued an 'orange alert', warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall in almost half of Madhya Pradesh, which has so far received three per cent more rain than the average.

An 'orange alert' was also issued for Delhi after moderate rain on Saturday led to waterlogging in low-lying areas, and major traffic disruptions.

The Delhi administration sounded a flood alert and expedited efforts to evacuate people living in the Yamuna flood plains, as the river breached the danger mark of 205.33 metres amid heavy rains in the upper catchment areas.

Delhi recorded 42.8 mm of rainfall between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm on Friday, while the maximum temperature was recorded at 32 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season's average.

The water level was recorded at 205.34 metres at the Old Railway Bridge at 11 am. It was 205.22 metres at 8:30 am, 205.10 metres at 6 am and 205.17 at 7 am, and is likely to rise further.

Three trekkers were reported missing on Friday in Himachal Pradesh where over 200 people remained stranded in the state's Lahaul-Spiti following a cloudburst and landslides earlier this week, while the district administration of Maharashtra's Raigad asked 413 families, comprising 1,555 people, from the villages of Mahad and Poladpur talukas to move to safer places due to the threat of landslides.

The Shimla MeT Centre issued a yellow warning of heavy rains till August 3 as it advised people to not go near rivers and water bodies as the level may increase to heavy rains in the coming days. It also warned of landslides and predicted heavy rains in the plains and low and mid hills of the state till August 5.

The rescue operation to locate 20 people missing after a cloudburst in a village in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar resumed on Friday after seven persons were found dead and 17 others were rescued in an injured condition as the remote Honzar village in Dacchan tehsil was hit by flash floods triggered by the cloudburst in the early hours of Wednesday.

Six people were killed in rain-related incidents across West Bengal. Of the six, five persons died of wall collapse due to heavy rains in separate incidents in different parts of the state, and one was electrocuted.

The Southwest Monsoon gained momentum due to the low pressure area over coastal Bangladesh and adjoining West Bengal leading to heavy rains in Rajasthan, the Meteorological Department said and issued a 'red alert', predicting very heavy rains in many districts of the state in the next 24 hours.

Heavy rain was recorded in many areas of Rajasthan in the last 24 hours, including 268 mm rainfall was recorded in Rajasthan's Shri Mahavirji (Karauli) followed by 135 mm at Rajgarh in Churu, 114 mm at Uchhain of Bharatpur and 104 mm at Mahwa in Dausa.

(With inputs from news agencies)