New Delhi:
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) today asked the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to keep its personnel ready in case of an exigency, in the wake of heavy rains leading to a flood like situation in parts of Gujarat and south Rajasthan.
“R K Jain, member secretary NDMA took stock of heavy rainfall situation arising with the warning issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for continuous rainfall in next 48 hours in Gujarat and south Rajasthan.
“He convened a meeting with the DG IMD, NDRF, Central Water Commission and Resident Commissioners of Gujarat and Rajasthan and directed for pre-positioning of NDRF team at strategic locations as per predicted rainfall and likely flood like situation,” IMD Director General Laxman Singh Rathore said.
Rathore added that Jain has also instructed the NDRF teams to be kept ready to meet any exigency as per the state government’s requests.
The states of Rajasthan and Gujarat have been witnessing incessant rainfall due to a depression over it. This has also led to a flood like situation in many parts of the two states.
Bengal
The West Bengal government is ready to tackle any situation arising out of heavy rains, but the state is yet to experience any flood-like situation, according to the state Irrigation Minister Rajib Banerjee.
“The administration is prepared to cope with any situation arising out of heavy rains so far and that is predicted in the state in the next 48 hours,” Banerjee told reporters at his office speaking about the latest situation.
Banerjee said that the state had received 50 per cent rainfall of the entire monsoon till July 22 and in the last three days different parts of the state had recorded from 159 mm to 308 mm rainfall resulting in waterlogging in many areas under different districts.
“Several areas under Lubpur, Sainthia and part of Suri in Birbhum district and Kandi, Nabagram, Bharatpur-I and Baroa still remained inundated due to heavy rains in last few days,” the Minister said.
Banerjee also said that the rivers like Kue and Dwarka in Murshidabad district and Bagla river along the border of Murshidabad and Birbhum districts were flowing above danger mark.
“Release of water from different barrages has also been brought down with the release of 1,153 cusec from Massanjore dam, 2,600 cusec from Tilpara barrage and 25,000 cusec from the DVC system,” Banerjee said.
“Even as there is no breach of embankment as yet, the state government has taken up all precautionary measures to prevent any such damages and plug loopholes in vulnerable areas,” he said.
“In the event of further heavy rainfall, we are alert to cope with the situation. The Task Force set up by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the purpose is continuously monitoring the situation,” Banerjee said.
“District magistrates have also been asked to take prompt action in case of inundation and keep ready relief materials to meet the requirement,” he added.
The MeT department has warned of heavy to very heavy rains at isolated placed over Gangetic West Bengal during the next two to three days following depression that has formed over north Bay of Bengal.
Jammu and Kashmir
At least nine people have been killed during five days of torrential rain and landslides in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), emergency officials said today.
The deaths came as water channels swelled and people were left trapped in landslides in four mountainous districts of Kashmir.
The latest casualties bring the overall death toll from this year’s monsoon floods to at least 22, with over 200 buildings washed away in the worst-affected north.
Officials said the death toll and losses could increase because communication from the remote areas had been hampered due to heavy rains.
“According to available collective figures, so far nine people have been killed and seven others were injured,” Zaheer Qureshi, director general of the disaster management authority, told AFP.
“Up to 47 houses have been damaged while we are yet to get information from the cut-off remote mountainous villages,” he said.
Yesterday, four people were killed when their pick-up truck was swept away by a seasonal stream in southwest Pakistan.
Every year since 2010, which saw the worst floods in Pakistan’s history, the country has experienced serious inundations that kill hundreds and wipe out millions of acres of prime farmland, harming the heavily agrarian economy.
