Ganga, Yamuna, rivers in spate; alert sounded across north India

Floods and landslides induced by heavy rains continued to wreak havoc in Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab, which were put on high alert on Monday (August 19), in view of the rising water levels in the rivers passing through these states. According to reports, almost 30 people have died and more than 20 are missing in flood-related incidents in these states.

Several rivers including the Ganga, Yamuna and Ghaghra were in spate on Monday in Uttar Pradesh due to heavy rains in neighbouring states, leading to floods in low lying areas that left one person dead.

According to the Central Water Commission, the Yamuna river is flowing above the danger mark in Auraiya and Jalaun, while Ganga in Badaun, Chambal in Dhaulpur, Sharda in Palia Kalan and Ghaghra in Elgin Bride are flowing above the red mark.

The Punjab government declared the floods in the state a natural calamity. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh directed the Financial Commissioner Revenue (FCR) to issue the necessary notification at the earliest.

The water level in the Bhakra dam crossed its permissible limit of 1,680 feet, prompting the authorities to increase the release of excess water through spillway gates to 41,000 cusecs, officials said.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kerijiwal warned that the rising water in river Yamuna may cause flooding in many parts of Delhi once it crosses the danger mark on Monday evening.

Haryana and Punjab

In Haryana, the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Monday rescued nine people including women and children stuck in Karnal district due to a sudden rise of water in river Yamuna. The rescue operation was carried out by the IAF in the early hours of Monday despite adverse weather conditions, Haryana’s additional director general of police (law and order) Navdeep Singh Virk said.

Haryana’s department of revenue and disaster management had issued a high flood warning on Sunday, alerting deputy commissioners of Karnal, Panipat, Sonipat, Faridabad and Palwal. The Yamuna River discharge at 6 pm on Sunday was 8, 28,072 cusecs, which is categorised as a “high flood” situation, officials said. There were reports that rainwater had entered a village in Yamunanagar on Monday and people were being evacuated.

Although floodwater is yet to recede in Punjab and Haryana, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said heavy rainfall wasn’t reported in most parts of the two states as of Monday morning.

Also read: As Yamuna surges above danger mark, Kejriwal puts Delhi on high alert

In Punjab, floods were reported in areas like Rupnagar, Fatehgarh Sahib and Pathankot. Authorities ordered closure of schools in Rupnagar on Monday. The Punjab government had on Friday issued a high alert in the state after a forecast of heavy rainfall in next 48 to 72 hours.

Amarinder Singh has announced ₹100 crore for emergency relief and rehabilitation measures in the flood-hit regions of the state. The chief minister has directed all deputy commissioners in the state to monitor the situation closely. The chief minister himself is keeping a close tab on the situation, officials said.

Keeping in view the alarming situation due to the release of 2.4 lakh cusecs of water from Ropar headwork in Satluj river, deputy commissioner of Jalandhar, Varinder Kumar Sharma has ordered stationing of companies of National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) at vulnerable points in Shahkot, Nakodar and Phillaur.

The deputy commissioner, who along with senior police officials inspected the water level at Phillaur Bridge and at Danewal, a village in Shahkot, on Monday said that 50 expert swimmers and divers of the NDRF have been stationed at Shahkot.

Nearly, 42 expert swimmers and divers of SDRF have been stationed at Nakodar sub division in Jalandhar district of Punjab. Rescue centres have been set up in every sub division where requisite provisions of food and shelter have been arranged. Besides, medical teams have been deployed at all centres for providing medical assistance to the evacuees.

#UPDATE Delhi: Due to rising water-level of Yamuna river, vehicle movement on 'Loha Pul' (old iron bridge) over the river has been stopped. The water level has reached 205 meters (the warning level is at 204.50 meters). https://t.co/qUsFSdw8Jo

— ANI (@ANI) August 19, 2019

Meanwhile, Jalandhar district authorities have asked people living near the swollen Sutlej river and low-lying areas to remain alert, following the release of excess water from the Bhakra Dam. In the Yamuna River, water level had risen dangerously at the Hathni Kund barrage in Yamuna Nagar, Haryana on Sunday evening.

Jammu and Kashmir

In Jammu and Kashmir, two people were airlifted by IAF officials after they got stuck near a bridge in Jammu after a sudden increase in the water level of river Tawi.

Himachal Pradesh

While heavy rains have claimed 22 lives and injured two in related incidents in Himachal Pradesh over the past two days, the meteorological department on Monday predicted that the downpour is likely to continue in several parts of the state during the next 24 hours.
Over 500 people are stranded in several parts of the state as a number of roads have been blocked by landslides and flash floods, officials said. NDRF teams have been deployed to clear the roads and move stranded people to safer locales.

Multiple landslides also blocked the flow of water in streams and formed a big artificial lake in Khadetar village in Nurpur of Kangra district.

Light-to-moderate rainfall is predicted at many places in the state in the next 24 hours with heavy rains expected at isolated places, Shimla Met centre director Manmohan Singh said.

Himachal Pradesh: A portion of a footbridge over Sutlej river in Chaba area of Shimla collapsed yesterday after the water level in the river increased due to heavy rainfall in the region.
The bridge provided connectivity to Shakra, Baaladi, Bindla, & Jedvi villages pic.twitter.com/XxPypEhVmi

— ANI (@ANI) August 19, 2019

Uttarakhand

The scale of devastation caused by heavy rains in Uttarakhand unfolded on Monday with the recovery of more bodies, taking the toll in rain-related incidents in the state to 10, nine of them in cloudbursts in Uttarkashi district alone where a number of people are still missing.

Rescue and search operation, which was hampered by heavy rain lashing the region on Sunday, has been resumed on Monday amid clear weather, officials said. People trapped in affected areas are being shifted to safe locations and relief material is being made available to them, officials added.

Uttarakhand: Two persons airlifted from Arakot of Mori tehsil in Uttarkashi following cloudburst have been brought to Sahasradhara helipad in Dehradun. They are being shifted to Doon Hospital pic.twitter.com/tXXNkNSIsl

— ANI (@ANI) August 19, 2019

India Meteorological Department, Dehradun, said, heavy to very heavy rainfall likely to occur at isolated places in Kumaun region during the next 24 hours.