Heavy rain triggers flooding, landslides in parts of country. Know forecast for these 9 states
IMD says isolated extremely heavy rainfall likely over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim and Assam and Meghalaya during 18-20 June
Silchar/Kolkata: Heavy rainfall that has continued over the past five days in Assam has caused floods in 18 of the 31 districts of the northeastern state, where at least 30,000 people are facing the brunt of the extreme downpour with some vacating their homes to take shelter in relief camps.
On Monday, the army rescued 300 more tourists who were stranded in North Sikkim district due to incessant rainfall. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, Assam and Sikkim have received more than 50% of the rainfall for the season in the past four days, resulting in rivers overflowing, landsides and flooding in several regions.
The weather forecast for the two northeastern states does not offer much respite from rain, with the IMD predicting extremely heavy rainfall to continue over the next two days.
“Isolated extremely heavy rainfall likely over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim and Assam and Meghalaya during 18-20 June,” IMD said in its bulletin.
According to the Assam disaster management department bulletin, 30,729 people in 444 villages in Assam have come under the influence of a first wave of the floods. No deaths have been reported due to flood so far, officials said.
“Some of them have left their homes to take shelter in relief camps. As of now, 25 relief camps have been set up in seven districts and the state government has asked the other districts to keep the camps ready,” a state government official said, requesting anonymity.
In Sikkim, the army said it rescued 300 more tourists from Chungthang in North Sikkim by building a temporary bridge. The stranded tourists were provided food, resting place and medical comfort by the Army, an official statement said.
On Saturday, the troops of the Trishakti Corps of the Indian Army assisted the Sikkim government in rescuing 3,500 tourists who were stranded in the North Sikkim district, the statement added.
The Sikkim government in a statement said that close to 20 villages have been affected due to landslides and necessary relief was being provided to them.
Read: Monsoon updates: 'Red alert' in Assam; Tamil Nadu schools shut after heavy rain
Meanwhile, heavy rains lashed several other states of the country, including Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat, on Monday.
“Extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places over Rajasthan, Assam and Meghalaya, sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim. Very heavy rainfall at isolated places over Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu,” the IMD bulletin on the rainfall in the past 24 hours said. “Heavy rainfall at isolated places over Tripura, West Madhya Pradesh, Marathawada, Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.”
The IMD said that conditions are favourable for further advance of Southwest Monsoon over some more parts of south Peninsular India, parts of Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and East Uttar Pradesh in the next two-three days.
Read: Cyclone Biparjoy has delayed southwest monsoon in U.P. by a week: Met
“The Southwest monsoon has further advanced into some more parts of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Westcentral & Northwest Bay of Bengal; some parts of Gangetic West Bengal and Jharkhand; some more parts of Bihar and remaining parts of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim today [June 19].”
Heavy rains lashed several parts of north Gujarat and parts of Rajasthan in the last 24 hours due to a depression, remnant of cyclonic storm Biparjoy, causing a flood-like situation in many places, officials said.
Various parts of Gujarat, including Saurashtra region, are likely to receive light to moderate rainfall in the next two days, the IMD said in a release.
Cyclone Biparjoy made landfall near Jakhau on Kutch coast in Gujarat on Thursday evening, felling several trees and electric poles and damaging houses. As per the IMD, the rainfall in the last 24 hours was the result of a depression, remnant of cyclonic storm Biparjoy, over central parts of south Rajasthan and neighbouring region.
In Rajasthan, around 30 people were rescued in Pali and Jalore districts and a government hospital in Ajmer was inundated as there was no let-up in rains, officials said on Monday.
In Tamil Nadu, schools in at least six districts were closed on Monday due to heavy rain. The affected districts are Ranipet, Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Chengalpet and Vellore.
The IMD has also issued a rain alert for Himachal Pradesh, which has seen heavy rainfall in the past few days, over the next week.
(With agency inputs)
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