UP: Rains ease after three-day wet spell but rivers breach danger mark at several places

UP: Rains ease after three-day wet spell but rivers breach danger mark at several places

Lucknow, The depression over southeast Uttar Pradesh weakened into a well-marked low pressure area over its northern parts on Sunday, bringing some respite from rainfall after a three-day wet spell in the state and neighbouring Uttarakhand led to a flood-like situation in several districts.

UP: Rains ease after three-day wet spell but rivers breach danger mark at several places

The Central Water Commission , in its Daily Water Level Bulletin, said the Ghagra and Rapti rivers were showing rising trends at several monitoring stations, posing a flood threat to low-lying areas.

At Elginbridge in Barabanki, the Ghagra was flowing at 106.14 metres at 8 am, above its danger level of 106.07 metres. The water level is likely to rise further to 106.55 metres by Sunday night.

In Ayodhya, the river water level stood at 92.39 metres against the warning level of 91.73 metres and was forecast to rise to 92.85 metres.

The Rapti was also rising sharply in eastern Uttar Pradesh. At Balrampur, the river water level was stated to be at 104 metres against its warning level of 103.62 metres and was likely to rise further by Sunday evening.

Widespread rainfall was recorded in the river basins during the 24 hours ending 8.30 am on Sunday, the CWC said.

The heavy rain has caused extensive waterlogging in several parts of the state.

At the Sonik toll plaza on the Ganga Expressway in Unnao, rainwater accumulated and pumps were used to drain it.

The Ganga Expressway project manager, R S Mishra, said the expressway remained fully operational and traffic movement was normal despite the unusually heavy rainfall.

He said there was no waterlogging anywhere on the expressway except at one ramp in Unnao, where drainage had been affected partly due to the relatively low height of a high-tension power line near the ramp.

The agency was coordinating with authorities concerned to relocate the line after the monsoon, Mishra said, adding that the expressway team was maintaining continuous surveillance to ensure safe and smooth traffic movement.

Sharing a video, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had taken a swipe at the Uttar Pradesh government over waterlogging on the Ganga Expressway, suggesting that it be renamed the "Ganga Express Waterway".

In Lucknow, a portion of the road near Ekana Stadium reportedly caved in, while several intersections were waterlogged. Agricultural fields in the Bakshi Ka Talab area were submerged and crops were flattened by rain and strong winds.

According to the India Meteorological Department , the system that caused incessant rains in the last three days moved north-northwestwards and weakened into a well-marked low pressure area at 5.30 am.

It is likely to continue moving in the same direction across Uttar Pradesh and weaken gradually into a low pressure area during the next 12 hours.

According to IMD, a depression produces strong winds and heavy rain. As it degrades into a well-marked low-pressure area, the system loses strength and wind speeds drop, which reduces overall rain intensity.

The weakening weather system comes after widespread heavy to extremely heavy rainfall battered Uttar Pradesh for nearly three days, disrupting normal life and damaging crops.

Ten people were killed and 17 injured in rain-related incidents in the state on Saturday, as 63 districts out of 75 recorded above-normal rainfall.

Heavy rain lashed Kanpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Bareilly and several other parts of the state. Strong winds reaching 30-40 kmph accompanied the downpour, uprooting trees and electric poles at several places and inundating roads, lanes and villages.

The Kanpur-Etawah highway was also reported to have suffered damage over a stretch of around 200 metres.

The state received 45.1 mm rainfall in the 24 hours ending Sunday, against the normal 1.8 mm, according to the information provided by authorities. The IMD had forecast heavy rainfall in parts of the state on Sunday.

Officials have been closely monitoring river levels and the situation in vulnerable areas.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.