Intermittent rain damages homes in Prayagraj, Kaushambi and Pratapgarh; woman dies as house roof caves in

Several kutcha houses collapsed, household belongings were damaged, and families were forced to move to safer places.

Intermittent rain over the past few days has caused widespread damage across Prayagraj, Kaushambi and Pratapgarh. Several kutcha houses collapsed, household belongings were damaged, and families were forced to move to safer places.

Flood water in Daraganj and other low lying areas of the city on Sunday. (ANIL KUMAR MAURYA/HT PHOOT)

In Kaushambi, an elderly woman died after a portion of her house collapsed during a programme at her home on Saturday night, while no casualties were reported in similar incidents in Prayagraj and Pratapgarh.

In Kaushambi’s Udihin Khurd village in the Sirathu area, 88-year-old Kaluai Devi, wife of the late Juggilal, was sleeping in a room when a portion of her kutcha house’s roof suddenly collapsed around midnight. She was trapped under the debris and suffered severe head injuries.

An event had been organised at her house ahead of the Sunday birthday celebration of her grandson, and several relatives had gathered for the occasion. After hearing the loud noise, the relatives cleared the stones and mud and rescued Kaluai Devi. She was taken to the community health centre in Sirathu and later referred to the medical college, where doctors declared her dead.

In Pratapgarh, a rain-weakened kutcha house belonging to Kailasha Devi in Fatoohabad locality of Nagar Panchayat Hira Ganj, under Maheshganj police station, collapsed on Saturday night. Kailasha Devi was at her maternal home at the time and escaped unhurt, but her household belongings were buried under the debris.

She returned home on Sunday morning and retrieved household belongings from the rubble.

Rain-related problems also persisted in Dharampur village of Mandhata development block in Pratapgarh, where a wall of the house of Saroj Devi, a woman with a disability, collapsed due to rain-induced seepage. She escaped unhurt.

Saroj had been living under a thatched shelter, however, rainwater entered it last week. With water still not receding, she shifted to her brother’s house. Two other families have also temporarily moved out of their homes. Rajesh Kumar and his family moved to his in-laws’ house after water accumulated at the entrance to their home, while Meena Devi shifted to another house as water continued to remain inside hers.

A local lekhpal visited the village on Sunday to assess the situation and gather details of families affected by waterlogging.

In Prayagraj’s Koraon area, a kutcha house belonging to Rajesh Kumar Singh of Girgantha village collapsed around 10.30am on Sunday following continuous rain. No one was inside at the time, averting a major mishap.

Ration, clothes, bedding, utensils and a motorcycle kept inside the house were damaged after being buried under the debris. The family informed the local lekhpal and sought administrative assistance.

Another rain-related incident was reported from Kalyanpur village in Shankargarh, where a kutcha house belonging to Raghvendra Singh collapsed on Sunday morning. Two cattle were tied inside the house when it caved in, but villagers quickly rescued both animals from the debris, preventing any loss of livestock.

Villagers said continuous rain had also led to waterlogging in Kalyanpur and Basahara villages, with rainwater entering several houses and causing inconvenience to residents.