Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 10 spoke with ministers and officials and took stock of the situation in the wake of excessive rainfall in parts of India.
The national and state disaster response teams are working to assist people affected by rain. “PM @narendramodi spoke to senior Ministers and officials, and took stock of the situation in the wake of excessive rainfall in parts of India. Local administrations, NDRF and SDRF teams are working to ensure the well-being of those affected,” PMO said in a tweet.
Amid the heavy rains in different parts of the country, India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday predicted that rainfall activity will continue over North West India, but the intensity of showers may differ.
About 14 people have been killed in Himachal Pradesh in rain-related incidents.
State Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on July 10 appealed to people to stay home for the next 24 hours amid the possibility of heavy rains during the period.
The State has announced three helpline numbers – 1100, 1070 and 1077 – for help of people who are in difficulty and need assistance.
Heavy rains in Delhi on July 8 and July 9 and broke 41-year record with several areas waterlogged.
NDRF officials said teams at its Ghaziabad centre were ready to deal with any unprecedented situation due to the increasing water level in Delhi.
Dr Charan Singh, Head of the Regional Meteorology Centre here, said on Sunday that there are chances of heavy to very heavy rainfall for the next two days in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and East Rajasthan.
“If we speak about North West India, especially the mountains then all the Himalayan regions especially Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will witness extremely heavy rainfall for the next two days and after that, the intensity of rainfall will decrease, but heavy rainfall will continue to occur. If we speak about Jammu and Kashmir, there are chances of heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours and after that of heavy rainfall”, Dr Charan Singh had said.
“As far as Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and East Rajasthan are concerned, there are chances of heavy to very heavy rainfall for the next two days, but the intensity will decrease after two days. Rainfall activity will continue to occur over northwest India,” Dr Charan Singh added.
It is to be noted that, after taking stock of the losses incurred in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh due to heavy rains, Union home minister Amit Shah on July 10 assured Chief Ministers of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh of all possible assistance from the Central Government.
Heavy rains lashed several parts of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh on July 8 and July 9 as the mercury dropped below normal limits in the two States.
Severe waterlogging and traffic snarls were caused in various parts of Punjab due to incessant overnight rain.
Chandigarh, the capital of Punjab, witnessed rain throughout the day on July 9. For the second consecutive day, rains lashed Fatehgarh Sahib, Mohali, Rupnagar and Patiala in the State.
In several places, water entered houses causing inconvenience to the people. A flood-like situation was seen in a private housing colony located in Punjab’s Dera Bassi, where boats and tractors were used to rescue locals stuck in their houses following the incessant rains.
In Delhi also, heavy rainfall lashed Delhi on July 9, causing waterlogging in several areas of the national capital. The early-morning downpour created difficulties for many commuters, as waterlogging led to traffic jams.
Several areas like Pragati Maidan, Nehru Nagar, Panchsheel Marg, Kalkaji and ITO got waterlogged which restricted the movement of traffic.
The morning rain continued for several hours led to water gushing into the storerooms of the city’s most popular shopping destination, Connaught Place, and led to a closure of the Minto Bridge underpass for traffic due to waterlogging.
The Minto Bridge underpass has been closed for vehicular traffic due to the incessant rains that have led to waterlogging. Heavy waterlogging was also reported from the Tilak Bridge underpass.
Delhi’s primary weather station, the Safdarjung Observatory, recorded 98.7 mm rainfall till 2.30 pm on July 9. A “yellow alert” was issued for Sunday by the India Meteorological Department said.
