Delhi put on flood alert

New Delhi/ Chandigarh/ Lucknow: Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab are on high alert after heavy rains led to floods that killed at least 33 people, while about 22 are missing. Flood alert was sounded in parts of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh as Yamuna and other rivers were in spate.

Haryana has asked the Army to remain on standby after 8.14 lakh cusecs of water was released from the Hathini Kund barrage in the Yamuna river.

Meanwhile, an earthquake of magnitude 4.2 jolted parts of Kutch district in Gujarat on Monday afternoon, officials said.

No loss of life or damage to property was reported, a district administration official said. "The quake was felt at 2.43 pm with its epicentre recorded 6 km north-north west of Bhachau in Kutch district," said an official of the Gandhinagar-based Institute of Seismological Research.

At least 22 people, including two Nepalese, were killed and nine others injured in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh, while three people died and 22 went missing following a cloudburst in Uttarakhand. Three people lost their lives in Punjab.

As the water level in the Yamuna River neared warning level, the Delhi government sounded a flood alert for the city and asked people living in the low-lying areas to move to safer places as the water level in the Yamuna river is expected to cross the danger mark, officials said.

An official said the Yamuna River was flowing at 203.37 metre on Sunday evening and its water level is expected to rise further in next 24 hours after 8.14 lakh cusec water was released from the Hathini Kund barrage in Harayana at 5pm.

In Uttar Pradesh, several rivers, including Ganga, Yamuna and Ghaghra, are in spate. Ganga is flowing above the danger mark in Badaun, Garhmukteshwar, Naraura and Farrukhabad. Similarly, the Sharda River at Paliakalan and the Ghaghra River at Elginbridge are flowing above the red mark, the Central Water Commission said.

In Uttarakhand, three people were killed and around 30 went missing as heavy rains lashed the state. Cloudbursts in Mori block of Uttarkashi district wreaked havoc in several villages, damaging several houses in Arakot, Makuri and Tikochi villages. A woman was also washed away in Dehradun district when her car fell into a seasonal river, they said.

Heavy rains remained unabated in Himachal Pradesh, leaving at least 22 people, including two Nepalese, dead and nine others injured in rain-related incidents in the state.

Nine people died in Shimla, five in Solan, two each in Kullu, Sirmaur, Solan and Chamba and one each in Una and Lahaul-Spiti districts. Landslides hit a spot near the RTO office here, leaving three people dead. One person sustained injuries in the incident.

Due to heavy rains, district officials in the state have ordered closure of all educational institutions in Shimla and Kullu on Monday. Gates of the Pandoh and the Nathpa Jhakri dams in Himachal Pradesh are being opened as the water level in the Beas and Sutlej rivers is very high. People have been requested to stay away from rivers, rivulets and streams to avoid any untoward incident, officials said.

Train services between Shimla and Kalka were disrupted on Sunday after multiple landslides blocked the rail route in the state. Heavy rains remained unabated in Haryana and Punjab on Sunday causing floods in some parts, while authorities sounded high alert in the two states.

Following heavy rains in Aol village of Punjab, three members of a family were killed when the roof of their house collapsed. Eleven people, including four women, have been rescued after they got stuck when the overflowing water of Beas river flooded their village in Punjab's Gurdaspur district.

In Rajasthan, water has started receding and there was no flood-like situation anywhere in the state. An official said 49 people have died in rain-related incidents in the state since June 15 and 500 people have been evacuated from the rain-affected areas.

In West Bengal, weather in large parts of south Bengal, including the metropolis, improved after two days of torrential rain that led to waterlogging in many areas and snapped road links at several places. Rains lashed several parts of Chennai and its neighbourhood with the MeT office predicting more showers during the next two days.