Two Districts Record Over 300mm Rainfall, Train Movement Hit As Tracks Go Under Water
Lucknow: Twenty one people were killed in the past 24 hours as a severe thunderstorm accompanied by heavy lightning and torrential rains lashed many parts of central and northwestern Uttar Pradesh, disrupting normal life and forcing schools in some places to shut for a day. Lighting caused four deaths in UP till Monday while 15 persons died due to heavy rain. Two deaths due to drowning were also reported.
Roof collapses, cases of drowning and deaths due to lightning were reported in parts of the state. Some localities in Lucknow faced waterlogging. In Barabanki, train movement was hit as rail tracks were flooded.
The relief commissioner’s office reported that 15 persons died due to heavy rain on Monday, including three in Hardoi, two each in Lucknow, Barabanki and Kannauj and one each in Amethi, Kanpur City, Unnao, Sambhal, Rampur and Muzaffarnagar. Lightning strikes killed two persons in Pratapgarh and one each in Barabanki and Jalaun. One person each in Deoria and Hardoi districts died due to drowning.
Barabanki and Rampur recorded 320mm rainfall, highest in the state in 24 hours from 8.30am on Sunday, followed by Moradabad (270mm), Sambhal (210mm), Hardoi (170mm) and Hathras (160mm). Kanpur and Kasganj recorded 150mm each, Kannauj 140mm, Budaun 130mm, Bahraich and Bijnor 120mm each and Sitapur and Farrukhabad 110mm each.
The state Met headquarters located on the outskirts of Lucknow at Amausi recorded 93.9mm rainfall till 8.30 am on Monday.
Relief commissioner GS Navin Kumar’s office added that flooding due to overflowing rivers had been reported from 173 villages in 19 tehsils across 10 districts. These districts included one tehsil each in Ballia, Barabanki, Farrukhabad, Kasganj, Lakhimpur Kheri, Kushinagar, Mau and Meerut, three each in Budaun and Kasganj and four in Muzaffarnagar.
According to the meteorological department, a western disturbance over the Himalayas and a cyclonic circulation over north Madhya Pradesh were responsible for the extreme weather conditions.
“Districts in central UP, including Lucknow, are expected to receive moderate rainfall on Tuesday as well. The intensity of the rainfall will decline on Tuesday, but districts in the central UP are expected to receive moderate thundershowers. The northwestern parts of the state will get light to moderate rainfall. The rainfall activity will decline in the entire state from Wednesday onwards,” said Mohammad Danish, senior scientist at the state Met department.
CM expresses grief, directs officials to carry out relief work at earliest
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has instructed the officials of the affected districts to undertake relief works with full promptness, according to an official spokesperson. The CM took stock of the heavy rain in the state on Monday morning and directed officials to remain in the field for better coordination and relief work.
Expressing grief at the death of 19 persons due to heavy rain, lightning and drowning, the CM directed officials to provide financial assistance to their families at the earliest. He also directed officials to carry out a survey of agricultural land to assess crop damage due to rain and report to the headquarters immediately so that farmers could be compensated for their loss.
He also directed officials to ensure that there was no water logging anywhere and where flooding had been reported.
Shelter homes have been set up and the NDRF and SDRF teams have been deployed in some districts, the official said. Lunch packets and foodgrains are being distributed and vaccination of animals and medical camps are functional, the official said.
