Heavy rain disrupts life; Char Dham Yatra halted
Heavy rain disrupted normal life in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand, forcing authorities to suspend the Char Dham Yatra until September 27.
UP bore the brunt of the depression over northeast Madhya Pradesh and adjoining north Chhattisgarh. The weather system, moving north-northwestwards towards southeast UP, brought heavy showers. As many as 63 districts recorded rainfall above normal, with some areas facing a moderate risk of flash floods.
Six people were killed in separate rain-related incidents, with all the casualties reported from Lakhimpur Kheri, Amethi and Barabanki districts.
The heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong winds also damaged standing crops in rural areas and over 100 houses across the state, as it received 19 times the normal rainfall in the past 24 hours, according to officials.
Lucknow recorded 125.8 mm of rainfall in the 21 hours ending Saturday morning; Farrukhabad recorded 200 times its normal rainfall, while Kanpur Nagar received 160 times and Kannauj, Kanpur Dehat and Hardoi 130 times the normal rainfall.
In Jharkhand, torrential rain inundated low-lying areas, affecting vehicle movement and pushing several rivers above danger levels.
People were seen wading through knee-deep water in some areas, while several vehicles were stranded on waterlogged roads.
At least six flights, including three arrivals and three departures, were cancelled at Birsa Munda Airport due to the inclement weather, an official said.
Schools remained closed in several districts, including Ranchi and Jamshedpur, following orders issued by the respective district administrations.
In East Singhbhum district, the Subernarekha River was flowing 2.02 metres above the danger level, while the Kharkai River was 4.50 metres above the danger mark.
The water level at Kanke Dam, also known as Gonda Dam, in Ranchi reached 27.05 feet against its capacity of 28 feet, another official said.
Water levels also rose significantly in Ranchi’s Hatia and Getalsud dams, he said.
Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand, already suspended multiple times this year due to inclement weather, was paused again on Saturday until September 27.
Schools were shut in five districts as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued ‘Red’ and ‘Orange’ alerts for several parts of the state.
Most parts of the State have been experiencing heavy rain since morning, while high-altitude areas witnessed intermittent snowfall. So far, officials said, there have been no reports of casualties or major damage in the state.
The tribal district of Himachal Pradesh, Kinnaur, received the season’s first snowfall, while many parts of the State, including Shimla and Dharamshala, received light rain.
The Kuno Charang area under Pooh tehsil in Kinnaur received snowfall during the day, while the rest of the district received rainfall.
The Meteorological Centre, Shimla, has predicted continuous rain across the state till September 29, after which it will decrease in intensity.
