Thunderstorm, rain likely in Delhi, NCR today

Thunderstorm along with rain is likely in some places of Delhi and adjoining NCR on Sunday

Thunderstorm along with rain is likely in some places of Delhi and adjoining NCR on Sunday, the home ministry said, quoting an advisory of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

A view of lightening and sudden rain at ITO, New Delhi, India. (HT File Photo)

A home ministry spokesperson said thunderstorm and rain would occur over some places in Delhi and adjoining NCR, including Faridabad, Ballabhgarh, Khurja, Greater Noida, and Bulandshahr on Sunday.

The Delhi-NCR region had witnessed overnight rain in the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday last week that brought down temperature and provided much-needed relief to citizens.

However, in other parts of north India, a chain of powerful thunderstorms, a freak pre-monsoon phenomenon that experts blamed on a confluence of three weather factors, killed at least 117 people and left a trail of destruction in at least six states.

Hundreds more were injured in the storms that packed windspeeds of up to 130 km per hour, and wrecked mud houses, damaged crops, uprooted trees and electricity pylons, cutting off power supplies and disrupting train traffic in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday approved an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those killed in a dust storm which had hit parts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan on Wednesday. The assistance will be provided from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. The Prime Minister also approved Rs 50,000 each for those seriously injured due to the storm, a statement from the PMO said.

Uttar Pradesh was the worst hit due to the storms, recording more than 70 deaths and scores injured. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath ordered government officials to suspend recovery of revenue and electricity dues from rural areas affected by the thunderstorm. He said that a compensatory sum of Rs 4 lakh has been awarded to dependents of each victim, and arrangements made for the treatment of those injured.

IMD officials, on the other hand, said thunderstorm warnings were issued at least three days before the freak weather phenomenon wreaked havoc. State agencies, however, said the alerts were not specific enough while experts rued that the forecasters did not foresee the severity of the deadly weather phenomenon.