IMD Issues Heavy Rain Alert For 17 States Today; Delhi, UP, Bihar Among Worst-Hit

New Delhi: Monsoon rains brought relief and widespread damnage to many parts of the country on Thursday and heavy downpours disrupted normal life. Waterlogging, potholes, fallen trees and other incidents were reported at many locations in Delhi, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad.

What did the IMD say?

The India Meteorological Department has issued a rain alert for 17 states, including Delhi on July 10. In Ghaziabad, a three-year-old girl drowned in waterlogging outside her home. Meanwhile, a 24-year-old security guard dies after electrocution in flooded Indirapuram park as rainwater became electrified by a nearby transformer. Furthermore, 17 people died in Uttar Pradesh due to rain-related accidents and lightning. 

In Bulandshahr, three members of a family were crushed to death after a wall wall collapsed near mosque, while seven people lost their lives due to lightning in four districts of Purvanchal.

Did IMD issue alert in Uttar Pradesh?

The India Meteorological Department has issued an alert for heavy rain and thunderstorms in more than 60 districts of the state, including Lucknow, over the next two days. The heavy rain that began early Thursday morning exposed the lack of preparedness of various agencies in Delhi-NCR. People faced several problems due to waterlogging in many areas.

What about the issues faced by the people?

Traffic across the NCR region appeared to be at a standstill. A BMW car became stuck in the waterlogged Bhogal underpass in Delhi. In Sahibabad, a 15-foot road caved in, sinking a car into the water in Sector 13, Vasundhara. Meanwhile, waterlogging in several societies and apartments damaged over 200 vehicles.

An e-scooter and a car were crushed after a massive trees fell in Delhi's East of Kailash and Rohini. Torrential rains in Uttarakhand disrupted life from the mountains to the plains. More than 84 connecting roads in the state were blocked due to landslides.

Boating was halted in Nainital due to rising lake levels. The Chardham Yatra route was also partially disrupted in many areas. Schools in several districts have been declared closed on Friday due to the rain. Heavy rainfall caused flooding and landslides in several areas of Himachal Pradesh. A nearly 100-foot-long iron Bailey bridge in Kinnaur district was submerged.

What about Gujarat?

Incessant rains have severely disrupted normal life in Gujarat and Maharashtra. Nine people died in rain-related incidents in Surat, Gujarat, while around 3,900 people were evacuated from low-lying areas amid flood-like conditions. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel arrived in Surat on Thursday to assess the situation. 

Nearly 3,000 gas cylinders from an HPCL bottling plant were swept away into the Patalganga River during floods in Maharashtra's Raigad district. Meanwhile, an NDRF team recovered a body from the rubble of a building in Pune on Thursday. Nine people have been rescued so far. Six to seven people are feared trapped in the debris.