44 die as heavy rain lashes Uttar Pradesh

At least 44 people died in incidents of flooding, roof, wall collapse and lightning strike as incessant rain battered various districts of UP since Thursday morning, a state government spokesman said on Friday

The spokesman said six deaths each were reported in Rae Bareli and Pratapgarh, five in Amethi, four each in Varanasi and Chandauli, three each in Barabanki, Prayagraj, Mahoba, two in Ambedkar Nagar, and one each in Kanpur Nagar, Gorakhpur, Sonbhadra, Ayodhya, Saharanpur, Jaunpur, Kaushambi and Azamgarh.

Majority of the deaths were due to wall and roof collapse. Lightning and instances of trees falling were among the other causes of death.

According to a communiqué, the meteorological department warned of heavy rainfall over the next 48 hours in some areas in the districts of Chitrakoot, Prayagraj, Sonbhadra, Mirzapur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Kaushambi, Pratapgarh, Sultanpur, Ghazipur, Azamgarh, Ballia, Mau, Deoria, Gorakhpur and Ambedkar Nagar.

The state government has issued an alert in this connection.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed the district magistrates of all the districts to launch relief and rescue operations immediately in the affected areas.

The chief minister also directed the DMs to provide relief of Rs 4 lakh immediately to the family members of each of the deceased. The officers were also directed to provide medical treatment to the injured and clear waterlogging on a priority basis.

Normal life was affected due to waterlogging in Central UP, East UP and Bundelkhand region.

An irrigation department officer said the Ganga was flowing above the danger mark in Ghazipur and Ballia, flooding the villages located near the river. The River Kuwano crossed the danger level at Chandradeep ghat in Gonda district, the officer said.

Although it was below the danger mark, the water level of the Yamuna was increasing in Agra, the officer said. The Rivers Betwa, Ken and Chambal also maintained an upward trend in the Bundelkhand region, he added.

The rural areas of Lucknow, Sitapur, Sultanpur and Jaunpur districts faced a flood threat as the Gomti river was flowing four metres below the danger level in the four districts. The Sharda river was flowing near the danger mark at Paliyakala in Lakhimpur Kheri district. The Saryu was also flowing near the danger level in Bahraich, Gonda, Faizabad and Barabanki districts.

The irrigation department issued an alert due increase in the water level of the Rapti in Shravasti, Siddharthnagar, Balrampur and Gorakhpur districts. The Ghaghra was also flowing near the danger level near Turtipar in Ballia. In Kushinagar and Deoria, several villages were inundated with a rise in the water level of the Gandak.

Heavy rainfall in the foot hills of the Himalyan range in Uttarakhand led to a flash flood in Saharanpur district as a sudden increase in the water level of the Yamuna and Kali rivers flooded the low-lying areas. A large number of pilgrims were trapped in the Shakumbhri Devi temple. One person died and two were injured. The shops located near the temple were inundated.

Chief secretary Rajendra Kumar Tiwari said the district magistrates of all the districts had been directed to keep their control room functional round the clock, maintain vigil on river embankments, repair the damaged portions and activate flood posts shift people from low-lying areas to a safe spot.

They were also asked to put the NDRF, SDRF and flood battalions of the PAC on alert for rescue and relief operations, he said.