4 dead as floods hit 300 UP villages; Ganga, Yamuna in spate

Floods have hit more than 300 villages in 13 districts of Uttar Pradesh, with several rivers, including the Ganga and the Yamuna, in spate thanks to heavy rainfall in the state and the upper catchment areas.

In Delhi, the water level of the Yamuna breached the danger mark of 205.33 metres again on Sunday (July 23) following a surge in discharge from the Hathnikund Barrage into the river after heavy rain in parts of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

According to Relief Commissioner Office data, four people have died in rain-related incidents in Uttar Pradesh in the past 24 hours.

Rivers in spate

As many as 331 villages in Aligarh, Bijnor, Budaun, Farrukhabad, Firozabad, Ghaziabad, Kasganj, Mathura, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Shahjahanpur and Shamli districts have been affected by the floods, the data stated.

Sixty-one shelters have been set up for the 25,281 affected people, it said.

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While three people drowned in floodwaters, one died due to snakebite, the Relief Commissioner’s Office said.

According to reports, the Ganga is flowing above the danger mark at the Kachla bridge in Budaun and Fatehgarh in Farrukhabad. Its water level has reached near the red mark in Narora, Bulandshahr.

The Yamuna is flowing near the danger mark at Mavi in Muzaffarnagar and Prayag Ghat in Mathura. The Sharda river is also flowing near the danger mark at Palia Kalan in Lakhimpur Kheri, the reports said.

Rescue ops on

More than 50 people were on Sunday (July 23) rescued from Karhera village on the banks of the Hindon in Ghaziabad after it was flooded following an increase in the water discharge in the river, a tributary of the Yamuna, officials said.

A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team and the Sahibabad police used motorboats to shift residents of the village, where more than 8 feet of water has accumulated, they said.

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Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Sahibabad, Bhaskar Verma said some villagers have been shifted to safer places while others have moved to their relatives’ houses. A relief camp has been set up in a school in the village.

Ghaziabad MP and Union minister Gen (Retd) VK Singh instructed officials to provide rations to those affected by the floods.

The Hindon river has breached the embankment near the city forest. Most of the forest and the nearby colonies have been submerged. The local administration has also closed the City Park.

The NDRF also rescued residents of Ataur Nangla and Noor Nagar villages under Nandgram police station limits on Friday night. Bovines and other animals have also been rescued.

(With agency inputs)