Northern India to receive heavy rainfall on Wed-Thu, says IMD

During 1 June-23 July, northwest India received 40% above-normal rainfall at 318.8 mm. Rains were 78% above normal in Himachal Pradesh and 26% above normal in Uttarakhand.

Heavy showers may cause localized flooding and landslides. 

Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have also been issued ornage alert. Haryana, West Uttar Pradesh and East Rajasthan are expected to get heavy-to-very heavy rainfall on Wednesday.

In southern India, including south interior and coastal Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana, and central India including Odisha, Goa and Maharashtra have also been issued an orange alert till Thursday.

Isolated very heavy rainfall is likely over Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh during Wednesday-Thursday, and extremely heavy rainfall may occur over Konkan, Goa and ghat areas of Madhya Maharashtra on Wednesday. Odisha is expected to get very heavy rainfall on Tuesday and Wednesday.

IMD’s Agromet services has advised farmers in these regions drain out excess water from crop fields.

It has been advised to postpone transplanting of rice and finger millet in Konkan; rice in Gujarat and ghat regions of Madhya Maharashtra. Farmers in Telangana have been asked to postpone direct sowing of rice. Farmers in Saurashtra have been instructed to delay sowing of castor and pigeon peas. Coastal Karnataka farmers must postpone groundnut, maize, late sown cotton and red gram, it said.

Meanwhile, the river Yamuna was flowing above the danger mark in the national capital. Water levels reached 206.44 mtr at 10pm on Sunday and are likely to go up to 206.47 mtr by 2am on Tuesday. The water level at 7am today was at 206.56 mtr, according to Central Water Commission (CWC).

This rise in water level has raised fresh concerns of a flood-like situation in Delhi and neighbouring regions. Yamuna water level had hit an all-time high of 208.66 mtr on 13 July.

The administration on Sunday asked people to vacate low-lying areas as after the water level crossed the danger mark.

“Water entered some houses in the low-lying areas…as a precautionary measure, people have been evacuated to a safer place. The situation is normal at the moment, and we are monitoring the water level and spreading awareness about it,” additional commissioner of Police Sureshrao Kulkarni said.

Updated: 24 Jul 2023, 04:05 PM IST