56 dead in 48 hours as heavy rain wreaks havoc across UP, 1,000 houses damaged

Excessive rainfall in 56 districts raised concerns of rising casualty figures and ongoing adverse weather conditions.

Uttar Pradesh recorded 97.6 mm rainfall in the 48 hours from September 25 morning to September 27 morning, against a cumulative average of 4.5 mm, as heavy rain and storms claimed 56 lives and injured 46 people across the state in that time period, officials said.

SDRF personnel conduct a rescue operation at a flood-affected area of Surali village in Koraput, Odisha. (PTI)

More than 1,020 houses were damaged and 107 animals died due to rain-related incidents during the period, relief commissioner Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod said, adding that excessive rainfall was recorded in 56 of the state’s 75 districts. The casualty figures are expected to rise as data compilation is still under way, Yashod added.

The adverse weather conditions that persisted for more than 48 hours have eased somewhat and are now confined mainly to the Terai region, which is likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall, the weather department said.

Deep Dive

What were the reported effects of heavy rainfall in Uttar Pradesh during the three-day period from September 25 to 27?

Why was there an increase in rainfall in Uttar Pradesh compared to the long-term average during this period?

How are authorities responding to the flood threats caused by the rising water levels in Uttar Pradesh?

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Relief commissioner Yashod said rainfall was 7,385% above normal in Farrukhabad, 5,664% in Kannauj, 4,408% in Shahjahanpur, 4,240% in Hamirpur and 4,100% in Mahoba.

Flood risk in Odisha

A flood threat loomed over several low-lying areas of Odisha on Sunday as the Mahanadi river system was expected to carry up to 800,000 cusecs of water through Mundali by Monday, while major rivers in the northern districts continued to flow above danger levels, officials said.

Odisha Water Resources department engineer-in-chief Dillip Kumar Rout said around 7 lakh cusecs of water was expected to flow through Mundali by Sunday night and the discharge could rise to 800,000 cusecs by 10 am on Monday. The rising water levels are likely to affect low-lying areas of Khurda, Cuttack, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts as several rivers in the Mahanadi system, including the Luna, Karandia, Chitrotpala, Kathajodi and Kuakhai, are expected to experience flooding. Flood conditions are also likely in the Devi, Kandala, Kushabhadra, Daya, Bhargavi, Rajua and Makara rivers. Meanwhile, the flood situation worsened in several parts of northern Odisha as the Baitarani, Salandi and Subarnarekha rivers continued to flow above danger levels.

Rafting halts in Rishikesh

River rafting operations in the Ganga at Uttarakhand’s Muni-ki-Reti in Rishikesh have been halted indefinitely following continuous rainfall over the past two days, with authorities deciding to resume activities only after the weather improves and the river recedes to a safer level, said officials.

Tehri Garhwal district tourism and adventure officer Sobat Singh Rana said, “As it is currently raining across the Garhwal division and in view of Meteorological department advisories, river rafting has been halted with immediate effect until further directives are issued. Rafting will resume only after an assessment of weather conditions, the monsoonal forecast, the Ganga’s water level and the weather forecast for next week,” said.