E-Paper
Lucknow drenched, and more is coming!
Water-logging, overflowing drains, potholes, traffic bottlenecks reappear; silver lining: river embankments safe
Uttar Pradesh experienced healthy rainfall on Wednesday, which was the cause of five deaths in the last 24 hours. The districts have been directed to provide immediate relief amounts to the families of the deceased.
In the last 24 hours, heavy to very heavy rainfall occurred at isolated places in the state, while extremely heavy rain occurred at isolated places over eastern UP. Thunderstorms occurred at a few places over western UP and at isolated places over eastern UP, the weatherman said.
During the last 24 hours, the state has received an average rainfall of 16.9 mm, which is 296.5% more as compared to the normal rainfall of 5.7 mm. Thus, the state received an average rainfall of 102.8 mm from June 1 to July 2, which is 91.4% of the normal rainfall of 112.5 mm.
Lucknow got 4.6 mm
The state capital awoke to pleasant weather on Wednesday with overcast conditions and rainfall in the first half of the day. Lucknow recorded 4.6 mm rain. Maximum and minimum temperature in the state capital was 30 degrees Celsius (5.9-degree Celsius below normal) and 27.5 degrees Celsius which is 1.8 degrees above normal. The difference between day and night temperature was 2.5 degrees. Forecast for Lucknow is a generally cloudy sky with a few spells of rain/thundershowers. Maximum and minimum temperature will be around 30 degrees Celsius and 27 degrees Celsius, respectively.
More rain coming
“In the next 4-5 days, the intensity of rainfall is likely to increase and moderate rainfall is expected in Lucknow. During this period, the maximum temperature is likely to remain below normal but due to abundance of moisture, there is a possibility of humid conditions continuing,” said Atul Kumar Singh, senior scientist at Lucknow Met office.
“The intensity and areal distribution of rain is also increasing in the central and southern parts of the state during the next 4-5 days, due to which there is a possibility of good rain at most places in the state, with heavy to very heavy rain at some places,” Singh added.
Rain/thundershowers are very likely at most places over the State, said Manish R Ranalkar, director of Lucknow Met office. The Met department has issued a warning of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning at isolated places over the state. Heavy to very heavy rain is very likely at isolated places over the state.
All embankments safe
Uttar Pradesh relief commissioner, GS Naveen Kumar, while informing about the status of rainfall, said that at present, all the embankments of the state are safe. Kumar said that in the last 24 hours, 30 mm or more rainfall has been recorded in 13 districts of the state (Bijnor, Maharajganj, Bareilly, Sant Kabir Nagar, Shahjahanpur, Basti, Badaun, Moradabad, Rampur, Gorakhpur, Barabanki, Ballia and Pilibhit). No river in the state is flowing above the danger level.
At present, no district of the state is affected by flood. In view of the possible flood in the state, the districts have completed the work of pre-tendering for distribution of food grain.
Traffic travails
Vehicles moved at a snail’s pace right after the downpour, with Hazratganj, the long stretches of Faizabad road including Chinhat, Kamta, Matiyari crossings being majorly affected.
Lucknow Traffic police took to its official X handle to alert commuters, “Traffic is running slow at Balaganj crossing due to rainfall. Please plan your journey accordingly,” read the post.
Traffic bottlenecks in multiple areas disrupted vehicular movement due to construction work. “The traffic was moving slowly on the road coming from the Parivartan Chowk side at Qaiserbagh crossing due to construction work being carried out by the Municipal Corporation,” wrote the traffic department, adding that diversions had been made.
Water-logging witnessed
First to fall victim to rain were under-construction or incomplete roads and construction projects, and particularly low-lying areas of the city. Certain areas of Faizullahganj were completely flooded due to overflowing drains, with sewage water streaming down the streets.
Activist and resident of Faizullahganj, Mamta Tripathi, shared a post and video of the area on her X handle, saying that under such circumstances dengue becomes a risk. “Last year, the health department promised that they would spray mosquito larvicidal oil, but that was never carried out on the ground,” read her post.
The underpasses on Sultanpur Road near Palassio Mall also turned into a gigantic puddle around 20 feet wide.
The bylanes of Arjunganj are already seeing the pitfalls of monsoon, as the narrow unmade roads have turned muddy and difficult to navigate. Potholes have resurfaced in the area, making it a commuting risk for citizens settled there.
Some parts of Dewa Road also saw minor water-logging lasting a few hours, which will be aggravated as the season furthers. Areas like Regency Road in Vibhuti Khand, the crossing near Loreto Convent, parts of Lalbagh also saw minor accumulation of water, a forecast of far more intense water-logging to come as the season progresses.
