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

Heavy rains lashed northern parts, leaving at least 28 people dead and 22 missing in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab on Sunday, August 18, while a 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 cusec water was released from the Hathini Kund barrage in the Yamuna river.

Here are the updates:

Rains wreak havoc in Uttarakhand, Himachal; claims 35 lives

Heavy rains battered the Himalayan states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, claiming 35 lives so far and leaving many stranded, while a flood-like situation prevailed in many parts of Haryana and Punjab and Jammu and the Yamuna neared the danger level in Delhi.

Three more people lost their lives in Himachal Pradesh where torrential rains over the weekend have caused floods and landslides, destroying houses, damaging water lines and leaving hundreds of people stranded. With this the toll has climbed to 25 and the weather office has forecast that there will be no let up in rains till Tuesday.

- PTI.

Several rivers in spate in UP, teenager drowns

Several rivers including the Ganga, Yamuna and Ghaghra were in spate on Monday in Uttar Pradesh due to heavy rains in neighbouring states, leading to floods in low lying areas that left one person dead.

According to the Central Water Commission, the Yamuna river is flowing above the danger mark in Auraiya and Jalaun, while Ganga in Badaun, Chambal in Dhaulpur, Sharda in Palia Kalan and Ghaghra in Elgin Bride are flowing above the red mark.

According to officials, 16-year-old Anshu drowned in Etawah due to release of water from Kota Barrage into the Chambal.

-PTI.

Yamuna breaches danger mark

The water level of Yamuna crossed the danger mark in Delhi at around 6 p.m.

The level at 6 p.m. was 205.36 metres at Old Yamuna Bridge, which is above the danger mark of 205.33 metres.

"It is expected to reach about 207 metres during the night," a district administration official said.

Ganga crosses danger mark in Haridwar; at least 12 people killed in Uttarakhand

The Ganga river crossed the danger mark in Haridwar and is flowing close to it in Rishikesh. At least 12 people were killed in rail-related incidents in the state, most of them in the early hours of Sunday.

The Ganga is flowing above the danger mark at 294.450 metres in Haridwar, Vikrant Saini, sub-divisional Officer of the irrigation department in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh said on Monday.

Waters of the flooded river entered the fields in dozens of villages in the district, damaging crops of paddy and sugarcane over 30,000 bighas in Kalsiya, Sherpurbela, Dumanpuri, Himmatwala in Laksar area, he said.

- PTI.

Old Yamuna bridge ordered shut

Traffic and Railway movement on the Old Yamuna bridge has been ordered shut by district officials in East Delhi in light of the rising water level. 
Given incessant rain in the catchment area and the release of water from the Hathini Kund barrage, in an order East Delhi District Magistrate stated that the water level of the Yamuna shall cross the 207 meter danger mark.

Earlier officials had issued a public notice warning of a likely flood situation in the Yamuna River bed area and told people not to go near the area. Those in need of assistance may reach out district officials at 01122051234

Kejriwal urges people to move to safer places

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during a press meet on Yamuna floods.   | Photo Credit: Sandeep Saxena

Water level in the Yamuna is expected to cross the danger mark this evening, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, urging people in low-lying areas to move to temporary shelters set up by the administration.

"Haryana has released a record 8.28 lakh cusecs water in the Yamuna on Sunday. This water is likely to reach Delhi by Monday evening and the danger mark in the Yamuna at 207.32 meters is likely to be breached,” he said.

So far, 2,120 temporary shelters have been set up, where food, water and other amenities are being provided. More than 23,800 people will be required to moved out from low-lying areas, according to official estimates.

The chief minister has urged people to move out of areas likely to be flooded.

Water level in Yamuna crosses warning mark

A view of Yamuna’s rising water levels on Saturday, August 17, 2019.   | Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma

The water level in the River Yamuna crossed the warning mark on Monday, prompting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to call a meeting of departments concerned to assess the situation and review arrangements in place.

The Yamuna was flowing at 204.7 metres on Monday and its water level is expected to rise up to 207 metres as 8.28 lakh cusecs water was released from Haryana’s Hathini Kund barrage at 6 pm on Sunday, an official said.

“The CM has called a meeting of all departments concerned on Monday afternoon to assess the situation and review arrangements made to deal with the situation,” a government official said.

22 killed in Himachal Pradesh

At least 22 people, including two Nepalese, were killed and nine others injured in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh.

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.

Flood death toll in Pune division mounts to 56

The death toll in floods in the Pune division of Maharashtra climbed to 56 on Sunday, a senior officer said.

Out of the five districts that fall under the administrative division, Sangli and Kolhapur were badly affected by floods in the second week of August. Other districts in the division are Solapur, Pune and Satara.

With most of the rivers in Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara now flowing below the danger marks, communication to almost all villages in the region has been restored.

As per the figures available so far, 1519 houses were damaged completely in floods while 19,780 partially.

- PTI

In Uttar Pradesh, rivers flow above danger mark

Rivers in Uttar Pradesh, including the Ganga, Yamuna and Ghaghra, are in spate following heavy rainfall in neighbouring states.

According to the Central Water Commission, the Ganga is flowing above the danger mark in Badaun, Garhmukteshwar, Naraura and Farrukhabad.

Similarly, the Sharda in Palia Kalan and the Ghaghra at Elgin Bridge in Barabanki of UP are flowing above the danger mark.

Jalaun DM Mannan Akhtar said,”The Yamuna is flowing above the danger mark in Kalpi due to which 12 villages have been cut off from the tehsil headquarters. Kharif crop has been damaged. The release of water from the Hathni Kund barrage in Haryana and excessive rain in Kota of Rajasthan have suddenly increased the water level in the Yamuna.”

Akhtar said the crop damage was being assessed.

Meanwhile, Farrukhabad DM Monica Rani said the administration had already started the work to prevent the erosion of the Ganga bank.

- PTI

Delhi sounds flood alert as water levels rise in Yamuna

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 5 pm.

3 killed in Uttarakhand

In Uttarakhand, three people were killed and around 22 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 washed away in Dehradun district when her car fell into a seasonal river, they said.

Haryana, Punjab affected

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.

In south India, rains lashed several parts of Chennai and its neighbourhood with the MeT office predicting more showers during the next two days.