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Rain spells throw daily life out of gear in Braj region
Incessant rain spells for the last two days have disrupted routine life in the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh
Incessant rain spells for the last two days have disrupted routine life in the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh. While heavy rainfall brought life to a standstill in cities, rural areas reported crop damage. In Agra, a 70-year-old woman, identified as Ramwati, died after the roof of her house collapsed due to the downpour on Sunday.
In view of the prevailing weather conditions, the district administrations of Aligarh, Mathura, and Etah have ordered schools to remain closed on Monday and Tuesday. “Schools affiliated to all the boards till Class XII will remain closed on Monday and Tuesday due to heavy rainfall. They will reopen on October 12,” said Indra Vikram Singh, district magistrate, Aligarh.
DM Aligarh also directed the Basic Siksha Adhikari (BSA) and the district inspector of school (DIOS) Aligarh to ensure compliance with the order. Besides, the district administration issued an advisory asking people to stay indoors as much as possible. The health centres have been asked to be in active mode round the clock.
In Etah, DM Ankit Kumar Agarwal issued a similar order directing schools (till Class XII) and anganwadi centres to remain closed on Monday. Similarly, in Mathura, schools will remain closed on Monday and Tuesday for students of Class VIII and below, said Deewan Singh, the district’s BSA.
The rain spells have left agriculture fields waterlogged and damaged ripe crops. Farmers are pressing for compensation and relief measures. Responding to the crisis, DM Mathura Pulkit Khare has issued phone numbers of the control room to help farmers who suffer losses due to inclement weather. “Teams have been constituted to conduct a survey to assess the losses suffered by farmers. Those farmers, who find themselves left out, can contact the control room,” said DM Khare.
Additionally, the continuous rain spells have left several parts of the Braj region waterlogged. Traffic movement and the public transport system have also been affected. Also, damage to houses has been reported in the rural and urban areas of Aligarh, Firozabad, Agra, Etah, Mainpuri, and Mathura districts.
The downpour has also disrupted the power supply in various areas. Further, hawkers were not able to deliver newspapers to many localities on Sunday morning due to an intense rain spell. Events planned for the weekend had to cancelled as rainfall disrupted preparations.
Precipitation also impacted the festivities of Sharad Poornima, Valmiki Jayanti, and Barawafat on Sunday. Tourists who had booked the ticket for viewing the Taj Mahal soaked in the moonlight on Sharad Poornima (full moon night) were also left disappointed as clouds covered the moon.
Meanwhile, farmers in Mainpuri also claimed heavy losses as the district was lashed by rainfall for the fourth consecutive day. Etah and Kasganj districts were left inundated after three straight rainy days. The rain spells also disrupted trade activities as people couldn’t step out for festive shopping. Shopkeepers complained of low footfall.
On the flip side, rain spells brought down the mercury and humidity in the region. Agra recorded a minimum temperature of 24 degrees Celsius.
