Rains in India: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (July 10)spoke to senior ministers and officials and took stock of the situation in the wake of excessive rainfall in several parts of India, according to a statement released by the PMO. Several parts of North India is receiving heavy rainfall for the last three days, leading to at least 19 reported deaths, landslides, devastation and flood-like situations in the national capital.
"PM Narendra Modi spoke to senior Ministers and officials and took stock of the situation in the wake of excessive rainfall in parts of India. Local administrations, NDRF and SDRF teams are working to ensure the well-being of those affected," the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) tweeted.
Several rivers, including the Yamuna in Delhi, in north India are in spate. In cities and towns across the region, many roads and residential areas were submerged in knee-deep water with the civic system unable to hold on in the face of record rains on Sunday.
Yamuna crosses warning mark
The Yamuna crossed the warning mark of 204.5 metres in Delhi as Haryana released more water into the river from the Hathnikund barrage amid persistent rains in the upper catchment areas. According to a flood bulletin, the water level at the Old Railway Bridge increased 204.63 metres at 1 pm on Monday. The water level is anticipated to rise to 205.5 metres between 10 am and 12 noon on Tuesday, crossing the danger mark of 205.33 metres.
Rahul Gandhi on current situation
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Monday said he was saddened by the loss of lives due to heavy rain and landslides in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and other states in north India and urged all party workers to help in the relief measures. He also expressed his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and hoped for a speedy recovery of the injured.
“The news of the loss of lives due to heavy rains and landslides in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and other north Indian states is extremely sad. I express my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families and hope for the speedy recovery of all those injured. All Congress workers are requested to help the authorities in relief work. We all have to together face the difficult challenges of this natural calamity,” he said in a tweet.
Kharge asks Centre for PM CARES relief
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday asked the Centre to make available additional relief from the PM CARES Fund for states affected by the torrential rain pounding several parts of north India, including Himachal Pradesh. "The death of several people in north India due to heavy rains is sad and painful.
Have talked to the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh. Relief efforts in the state have picked up and every effort is being made despite bad weather, to take people affected by heavy rains to safer places," Kharge said in a tweet in Hindi.
Northwest India has seen incessant rainfall over the last three days, with many areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan recording heavy to extremely heavy precipitation. This has resulted in overflowing rivers, creeks and drains that have massively damaged infrastructure and disrupted essential services in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab.
Delhi witnessed its highest rainfall (153 mm) in a single day in July since 1982 in the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am on Sunday. The city received an additional 107 mm rainfall in the subsequent 24 hours, exacerbating the situation. The heavy rain transformed roads into gushing streams, parks into watery labyrinths and marketplaces into submerged realms.
