Focus shifts to rescue efforts as rains abate in parts of north India | HIGHLIGHTS

(inputs from Manish Prasad)

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday conducted an aerial survey of areas affected by three days of incessant downpour and announced Rs 4 lakh ex gratia to the kin of those who died in rain-related incidents. Financial assistance will also be provided to the poor and others whose houses have been affected by the rain, he said. After reaching Ambala, where Khattar was accompanied by Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij, the chief minister held a meeting with the district administration officials.

Six more deaths due to rain-related incidents were reported in Punjab and Haryana on Wednesday, while authorities in the two states focused on relief operations as the weather cleared after days of heavy rains. The death toll now stands at 21, including 10 in Haryana, according to government data. Overall, 14 districts have been affected in Punjab and seven in Haryana. About 14,000 people have been shifted to safer places from waterlogged localities in Punjab's Patiala, Rupnagar, Moga, Ludhiana, Mohali, SBS Nagar, Tarn Taran, Jalandhar and Fatehgarh Sahib districts over the last three days, authorities said.

Eight towns in Himachal Pradesh broke all previous records of single-day rain in the month of July as the state witnessed an unprecedented downpour from July 7 to 10, the MeT office said on Wednesday. Widespread heavy to extremely heavy rains lashed several parts of Himachal as the hilly state received 223 mm of rainfall during these four days against normal of 41.6 mm, an excess of 436 per cent.

The National Green Tribunal has directed the Delhi government's PWD to desilt a stormwater drain at the Khampur village on NH-44 here that was allegedly removed by the NHAI while widening the highway. The green panel also directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to desilt the internal drains in the area within a month and ensure that there is no waterlogging. The tribunal was hearing a petition claiming the removal of a stormwater drain by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) contractor while widening the highway. It said no alternative arrangement was made for the discharge of domestic wastewater and septic tank water.

Forced to leave their homes to escape the flooding caused by the swollen Yamuna river, there is anger among those staying in relief camps set up by the Delhi government. While some criticised the government for failing to learn a lesson despite the Yamuna inundating people's homes every year, others claimed no rescue teams showed up to evacuate them. "We lost our home. We are left with nothing. We have lost all our valuables and belongings. There was no one to evacuate us. We came here on our own," claimed Rubi Devi, who is staying in a relief camp in east Delhi's Mayur Vihar, on Wednesday. "Our children are suffering more than us. Their schools have been shut," she said.

The national capital on Wednesday witnessed traffic snarls in many areas due to waterlogging, damaged roads and movement of Kanwarias, as the city grappled with the aftermath of heavy rains over the weekend. The Delhi Traffic Police issued an advisory in view of the rising water level of the Yamuna River following the rainfall and release of water by Haryana. Prohibitory measures under CrPC section 144 were imposed in flood-prone areas on Wednesday. As intermittent rains continued, airline operators advised people to allow more time for their journey to the airport.

Two minor girls drowned in a pond in a village in Masauli area here on Wednesday, police said. The incident took place in Nahamau village when the girls had gone to graze goats and one of them slipped into the pond, they said. While trying to save her, two other girls also jumped into the pond, police said, adding that Jaismin (8) and Saima (12) drowned in the waterbody.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday reiterated his request to people to avoid unnecessary travel in view of incessant rains in the state, and said the state government has released a helpline for those stranded in the disaster. "Our government has issued disaster relief numbers to help the people of Uttarakhand who are stranded in different places of the state and in Himachal Pradesh," Dhami said in a tweet.

Police and NDRF teams evacuated at least 90 people living near the Yamuna riverbank here following a flood threat in low-lying areas, officials said on Wednesday. The rescued people are mostly labourers who, along with their families, lived in Amipur village and worked in farms there, they said.

Himachal Pradesh: At least 88 people have lost their lives, 16 missing and 100 injured due to rains in the state. 492 animals have died across the state: State Government

A couple and their minor son were killed on Wednesday after the roof of their house collapsed in Kotkapura in Punjab's Faridkot district, police said. The roof was stated to have weakened due to recent heavy rains in the region, leading to its collapse early in the morning, a police official in Kotkapura said. He said the deceased were a man and his wife, both in their 30s, and their four-year-old son. A girl was also injured in the incident.

As heavy rains and floods ravaged the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called for an emergency meeting on the rising water level of river Yamuna. The meeting will take place in the Delhi Secretariat. READ MORE...

The water level of the Yamuna River, which is still in spate in Delhi recorded at 207.55 metres, which is the highest ever.

The northern region of the country is reeling under heavy monsoon rains these days. The fierce deluge has been witnessed in five states including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi in the last few days. Due to incessant rainfall, schools and colleges are closed in many districts of these states. READ MORE...

A man died of electrocution after flood water entered the slums near Yamuna river in Faridabad, Haryana.

Acting DGP of Himachal Pradesh, Satwant Atwal Trivedi, on Tuesday said that 15 Russian tourists were reportedly stranded in Kasol, and Police are trying to establish contact with them. 

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath orders to make arrangements for the safe return of the people of UP trapped in the rains in Himachal Pradesh.

There are currently 15 people from UP in Himachal Pradesh.

From Himachal Pradesh to Uttarakhand and from Punjab to Delhi, rains have continued for the last five days. Even today, the Meteorological Department has predicted rain in 24 states of the country. While Himachal may get some relief today, there is a possibility of heavy rains in many districts of Uttarakhand, Western UP and Bihar. Tourists are stranded at different places in Himachal.

Police stations along the banks of Yamuna River in Mathura have been put on alert following increase of water level in Yamuna due to incessant rainfall in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, officials said, according to ANI.

Rain continued at several places in Uttarakhand on Tuesday even as nine pilgrims were killed and 13 others injured in landslides and due to boulders falling from mountains in the past 24 hours.

Incessant rain nearly crippled the state infrastructure with several routes, including national highways, were closed due to frequent landslides, affecting the 'Char Dham yatra' currently underway.

The Met Department has forecast heavy rain on Tuesday and Wednesday and asked the state administration to take adequate precautions.

Due to incessant rains in the district, water will be released from Pandoh Dam (Mandi) from 6 pm today to 3 pm tomorrow. People are appealed not to go near low-lying areas like rivers, drains and dam areas for the next few days, said Nurpur Police.

Amid the incessant rainfall for the last few days, Delhi has been put on high alert as the Yamuna River has touched 206.24 metres, slightly above the danger mark of 207.14 metres around 6 am.