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New Delhi. There is a hope of relief from heavy rains in Uttarakhand, which is facing bad weather. The Indian Meteorological Department has given this information on Tuesday. However, in East and North-East India, the spell of heavy rains may continue till Wednesday. Apart from this, a new round of rain is likely to start in South Peninsular India in the next 4-5 days. The department has said that widespread rain or snowfall may start in Jammu and Kashmir from October 22.
In a release issued by the Meteorological Department on Tuesday, it has been said that the weather is likely to remain dry for three days in Uttarakhand. After this, the effect of Western Disturbance will be seen in the Western Himalayan region from October 22. There may be scattered rain/snowfall in Himachal Pradesh on 22nd and 23rd October. At the same time, scattered rain may occur in Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, North-West Rajasthan from 23 October.
The department has informed that there may be heavy rain and thundershowers in Bihar on October 20. Heavy rain is likely over Kerala and Mahe and Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal during October 19 to 23. Very heavy rain may occur at these places on October 20 and 21. Heavy rain is expected in Coastal Karnataka from October 21 to 23.
42 more people die in rain-related incidents in Uttarakhand, gates of dams open in Kerala
At least 42 more people died in rain-related incidents from different parts of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, while four people died in rain-related incidents in Uttar Pradesh. At the same time, due to heavy rains in Kerala, many dams have been filled and many districts have been alerted.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami appealed to the people not to panic and said that all necessary steps are being taken to bring them out safely. He again appealed to the Chardham pilgrims to stay where they are and not start their journey before the weather improves. He directed the District Magistrate of Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts to take special care of the stranded pilgrims on the Chardham Yatra route.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Nilesh Anand Bharne said, “The death toll in the Kumaon region itself has increased to more than 40.” Five people died in Uttarakhand on Monday. The official said that out of these 42 deaths, 28 people died in Nainital district, six each in Almora and Champawat districts, one each in Pithoragarh and Udham Singh Nagar districts.
Chief Minister Dhami conducted an aerial survey of the rain-affected areas and interacted with the affected people to assess the damage. He also announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the kin of those killed in rain-related incidents in the state in the last two days.
Uttarakhand Director General of Police Ashok Kumar, who accompanied Chief Minister Dhami to visit the rain-affected areas of Kumaon, said that roads, bridges and railway tracks have been damaged in Kathgodam and Lalkuan in Nainital and Rudrapur in Udham Singh Nagar. He told PTI that it would take at least four to five days to repair the damaged tracks.
Three helicopters of the Indian Air Force have reached the state to assist in the relief and rescue operations. Two of these have been deployed in Nainital district which has been badly affected by cloudbursts and landslides. The popular tourist destination has been cut off from the rest of the state as three roads leading to Nainital were blocked due to several landslides.
According to the India Meteorological Department, there are reports of rain from other parts of the country including Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu. It has forecast heavy rains in East and Northeast India till Wednesday, while heavy rains are also expected in the South Peninsular region for the next four-five days. Officials in the national capital said the road on Professor Joginder Singh Marg, located in the western part of Delhi, has been closed after a road collapse.
The Meteorological Department said that heavy rains are likely to continue in West Bengal till Thursday morning. However, the low pressure area over the Ganges valley in the southern part of the state has shifted towards Bihar. Met officials have warned of extremely heavy rainfall in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Alipurduar till Wednesday morning and rain in all the sub-Himalayan districts till Thursday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an ‘Orange Alert’ for 11 districts of the state including Kollam, Alappuzha and Kasaragod in Kerala on Wednesday. This warning means that heavy to very heavy rain may occur in the area. The gates of the Cheruthoni dam, which falls under the Idukki reservoir in the state, were opened on Tuesday to increase its water holding capacity in view of the forecast of heavy rains in its catchment area for the next two days. Earlier, the gates of the Idamalayar and Pampa dams were opened in the early hours of Tuesday in view of the rise in the water level in the reservoir and forecast of more rains in the coming days.
