LIVE Updates: Heavy rains lash parts of country, flood situation grim in few states

22:17 August 20

Heavy rain lashes south Bengal districts, more showers likely: Met dept

Kolkata: The southern part of West Bengal, including Kolkata, experienced moderate to heavy rainfall today under the influence of a well-marked low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal, the Met department said.

The low-pressure area lay over north interior Odisha and adjoining Jharkhand, it said.

Kolkata experienced continuous drizzle with intermittent sharp showers in between since Wednesday night.

The city recorded 30 mm rainfall in 24 hours till 8.30 am, the weatherman said.

22:16 August 20

Heavy rains likely in Telangana on Friday: IMD

Hyderabad: Heavy rains are very likely to occur at isolated places of several districts in Telangana on Friday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

According to the IMD weather forecast, light to moderate rainfall or thundershowers at most parts of the state is predicted for the next four days while it would be generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers in the city.

22:14 August 20

Bihar flood toll goes up to 27, over 81.79 lakh affected in 16 districts

Patna: With two more deaths, the toll in Bihar flood climbed to 27 today as 81.79 lakh people were affected in 16 districts, Disaster Management Department bulletin said.

The two deaths have been reported from Khagaria district, the bulletin said.

Nearly 11.59 thousand more population were hit by flood fury today.

The calamity has affected 81,79,257 people in 1,317 panchayats of 130 blocks till Thursday against 81,67,671 sufferers till Wednesday evening, it said.

Of the 27 deaths, Darbhanga district reported 11, followed by six in Muzaffarpur, four in West Champaran and two each in Saran, Siwan and Khagaria.

The Ganga is flowing 13 cm above the danger mark at Gandhi Ghat, 27 cm above the mark at Hathidah (both in Patna) and more than 31 cm above the mark at Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur, a bulletin of the Water Resources Department said.

22:11 August 20

Heavy rains increase flood flow in Godavari
Amaravati:After showing signs of receding, the flood flow in river Godavari is inching back towards the danger mark today evening, mainly at upstream Bhadrachalam, due to heavy rains in the catchment area.

This could result in increased inflows into the Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage at Dowaleswaram in Andhra Pradesh, according to sources.

On the other side, river Krishna is also in full flow, almost filling the Srisailam reservoir to capacity.

With an inflow of 4.17 lakh cusecs, Srisailams storage increased to 211.04 tmc ft, leaving a flood cushion of only 4.77 tmc ft.

16:23 August 20

Heavy rainfall damages National highway in Karnataka

Heavy rainfalls in Karnataka have damaged a significant portion the National Highway 218, near Konnur in Gadag district. 

This highway connects Hubli-Vijayapur to Solapur. 

15:57 August 20

Flood outposts in Muzaffarnagar on alert with Ganga in spate

Muzaffarnagar: Flood outposts in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district have been alerted following a rise in water levels in Ganga river due to heavy rains.

According to Ashok Jain, junior engineer in the state irrigation department, the Ganga river is in spate and nearing the danger mark.

The five flood outposts are at Ramraj, Dewal, Lalpur, Chuhapur and Rehadwa villages in the district, he said.

15:44 August 20

Srisailam reservoir nears capacity

Srisailam reservoir nears capacity, five gates lifted 10 feet

Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh): As water from heavy rainfall in catchment areas and floods made its way into the Srisailam reservoir in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh raising the water level.

The concerned authorities on Wednesday lifted five gates by 10 feet. According to officials, the water level in the reservoir was at 883.30 feet this morning whereas the full reservoir level is 885 feet.

The inflow of water reached 429,522 cusecs this morning and outflow was maintained at 274,423 cusecs, officials said adding that while the gross capacity of water storage of Srisailam reservoir is 215.07 thousand million cubics (TMC); at present 206.0996 TMC water is stored in the reservoir.

With the full capacity of the reservoir almost reached, hydroelectricity is being produced in the hydropower station by opening the gates, officials added.

13:53 August 20

Four-storey building vacated in Gurugram

Police vacate a four-storey building in Gurugram's Sector-46 after it bent on one side, following the heavy downpour.

13:52 August 20

The Kalahandi district in Odisha continues to receive heavy rainfall.

 Odisha has received 58.5 mm average rainfall in last 24 hrs, across the 30 districts. 

Rainfall above 100 mm recorded in four districts including Cuttack, Jajpur, Koraput and Kendrapara in last 24 hrs.

12:56 August 20

Man gets washed away while trying to cross overflowing bridge

A man along with his pick-up van was swept away while trying to cross an overflowing bridge in Bijnor of Uttar Pradesh.

The Lakadhan river was overflowing after there was heavy rainfall in the area.

The police with the help of locals rescued the body of the pick-up van's driver.  

12:23 August 20

Severe water-logging at Delhi-Jaipur Expressway in Gurugram of Haryana after heavy rains in the area. 

12:21 August 20

A portion of road caves in near Gurugram's IFFCO Chowk, following heavy rainfall in the region.

11:49 August 20

Rain, thunderstorms may affect flight operations in Delhi, ATC alert to airlines

The national capital has been witnessing rains since morning and flight operation at Delhi's IGI Airport could be affected due to them, according to the Delhi Air Traffic Control's (ATC's) warning issued to all airline carriers.

"Between 8:30 am and 10:30 am IST, it is prone to thunderstorms with light and rain and wind speed 3 knots, direction 130 degree. Hence! All airlines take necessary action. ATC also advises airlines to deal with dense clouds near the airport," Delhi ATC advised airlines.

Previously, many airlines had informed passengers that flight timings may be affected due to bad weather.

"Due to bad weather in Delhi, arrivals and departures may get affected. Please check flight status before you leave for the Airport," Air India had tweeted.

Due to heavy rains since yesterday, waterlogging has been reported at multiple places in Delhi and the NCR.

11:07 August 20

Building collapses in Kirari due to heavy rainfall

A building collapsed in outer Delhi's Kirari area following heavy rainfall in the area.  

The sixteen people residing in the building evacuated the building two days back.  

House owner Ramraj said: "We evacuated the house two days back. We have shifted to a rented house. The house was flooded with water due to heavy rainfall."

Local Saran Singh Raghav said: "Around 20-25 families have evacuated their houses. The buildings have collapsed or developed cracks following heavy rains."

11:06 August 20

JCB helps in crossing waterlogged area in Bihar

A JCB is helping people to cross the waterlogged area near Mahua-Muzaffarpur road in Bihar, following heavy rainfall in the region.  

The video footage shows that a man along with his bike crosses the waterlogged area with help of JCB.

Reportedly, the JCB driver charges money for helping the commuters to cross the road.  

11:05 August 20

Building collapses in Paschim Vihar, 3 injured

Three members of a family were injured after a building collapsed following heavy rainfall in Multan Nagar of Paschim Vihar in Delhi.

The three injured people including a woman have been admitted to the hospital.  

The locals helped police to pull out people from the debris of the building.  

Reportedly, the 40-year-old building collapsed due to incessant rains.

10:16 August 20

The monsoon rains brought Noida in Gautam Buddh Nagar district to its knees on Thursday as people had a tough time battling long snarls and navigating through waterlogged roads.

In the morning, roads in Sector 39 of Noida were waterlogged due to heavy downpour in the morning. However, these showers brought some level of relief to the people from humidity and scorching heat.

10:06 August 20

IMD predicts 'Cloudy sky with the possibility of development of thunder or lightning' till 24th August for the area.

"Thunderstorm with light to moderate rain would continue to occur over many places of entire Delhi, IGI Airport, Dadri, Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater-Noida, Ballabgarh, Faridabad, Gurugram, Manesar, Sohna, Modinagar, Pilakhua, Bulandshahar, Sikandarabad. Rainfall over Delhi likely to continue for the next 2 hours and subside thereafter," the IMD said.

10:02 August 20

Locals of Arosi village in Joshimath use a makeshift bridge to cross a river stream, following rainfall in Uttarakhand.

10:00 August 20

The Salal Power Station issued a warning for the public asking them to stay away from River Chenab in Reasi district, as gates of the dam will be opened on August 22 from 0545 hours to 1830 hours for mandatory silt flushing.

09:55 August 20

Rainfall over Delhi likely to continue for the next 2 hours and subside thereafter, said India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Rain/thundershowers & lightning are very likely to occur during next 3 hours at isolated places over Aligarh, Mathura, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Etawah, Agra, Firozabad, Lalitpur districts and adjoining areas: India Meteorological Department (IMD)

09:53 August 20

Continuous rains submerge swathes of Delhi-NCR; IMD issues alert for heavy showers

Many parts of the national capital and key road stretches remained flooded as rains continued to drench the city on Thursday, triggering traffic snarls during morning rush hours.

The India Meteorological Department has warned of heavy rains in the city on Thursday as well.

The downpour may lead to "major traffic disruption" due to heavy waterlogging and there is an "increased chance" of road accidents, it warned.

The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative figures for the city, recorded 46 mm rainfall between 8:30 am on Wednesday and 8:30 am on Thursday. 

On an average, the city gauges 11.3 mm rainfall from 8:30 am on August 19 to 8:30 am on August 20 every year. 

The Palam weather station gauged 70.9 mm precipitation during the period, more than six times the normal rainfall.

09:36 August 20

Amid heavy rains in the national capital on Thursday, waterlogging has been reported from various parts of Delhi, affecting traffic in the city.

Pictures and videos of vehicles and people wading through waist-deep water were widely shared on social media.

"Waterlogging reported at Jhilmil Underpass (both carriageways). Traffic is affected now," informed the Delhi Police.

The police further said that waterlogging was also reported in Rani Jhansi Road, MB Road and Lal Kuan.

"Waterlogging reported at Jhandewalan Mandir on Rani Jhansi Road, MB Road at Lal Kuan (both carriageway) and Ma Anandmayee Marg near DD Motors (both carriageway)," Delhi Police further tweeted.

"Traffic Alert: Water logging reported under Raja Garden flyover (both carriageways). Traffic is affected now," it added.

07:25 August 20

Waterlogging in several areas after incessant rains in Delhi-NCR

Incessant rains in Delhi led to waterlogging in several areas of the city while at some parts of buildings fell down due to showers, according to municipal reports.

The waterlogging took place at different locations in areas, including Kirari, Burari Rohini, Gautam Buddh Nagar and Mayur Vihar Phase 3.

The national capital saw incessant rains various parts of the city, even as neighbouring cities like Gurgaon witness massive waterlogging in the streets after heavy rains lashed NCR. 

06:44 August 20

UP: 777 villages in 16 districts hit by floods

With major rivers in Uttar Pradesh flowing above the danger mark, 777 villages in 16 districts of the state have been hit by floods, UP minister Anil Rajbhar said.

Of the affected villages, 520 are marooned, he said. 

The Sharda river at Palia Kalan in Lakhimpur Kheri, the Saryu, and Ghaghra at Elgin Bridge in Barabanki, Ayodhya and Turtipar in Ballia were flowing above the danger mark, the minister for backward class development said.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the district magistrates concerned to keep a vigil on river embankments, he said.

The 16 districts affected by floods are Ambedkarnagar, Ayodhya, Azamgarh, Bahraich, Ballia, Barabanki, Basti, Badaun, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Lakhimpur, Shahjahanpur, Deoria, Sant Kabir Nagar and Sitapur, Rajbhar said.

06:33 August 20

Rain lashes parts of Delhi-NCR

Rain lashed parts of Delhi-NCR on early hours of Wednesday bringing down the temperature to 27 degree Celsius.  

According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), thunderstorms with moderate to heavy rain would continue to occur over many places of entire Delhi during the next 2 hours.

"20-08-2020; 0415 IST; Thunderstorm with moderate to heavy rain would continue to occur over many places of entire Delhi, IGI Airport, Dadri, Ghaziabad, Etah, Noida, Greater-Noida, Ballabgarh, Faridabad, Gurugram, Manesar, Sohna, Modinagar, Meerut, Siyana, Gohana,  Kharkhoda, Palwal, Hodal, Nuh, Jhajjar,  Bulandshahar, Hapur, Gannaur, Farrukh Nagar, Kahrkhoda, Bahadurgarh, Bagpath during the next 2 hours," IMD tweeted. 

06:23 August 20

Rain LIVE Updates

Patna: The flood situation in Bihar remained critical on Wednesday with an additional 8,358 people affected by the calamity in 16 districts while Water Resources Minister Sanjay Kumar Jha said, there was no "immediate threat" to the state capital from the rising water level of the Ganga.

He said this after making a surprise inspection of various ghats along the river, which is flowing above the danger mark at Gandhi Ghat here.

The Ganga is flowing 10 cm above the danger mark at Gandhi Ghat, over 26 cm above the mark at Hathidah in Patna and more than 13 cm above the mark at Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur.

The minister carried out an on-the-spot review with officials and found that there was no immediate threat from the rising water level in the Ganga as it is 1.82 metres below its highest flood level of 50.52 metres at Gandhi Ghat, an official release said.

The minister, who was accompanied by the departments secretary Sanjeev Hans, was apprised of Patna Town Protection Wall (PTP) in detail, it said.

The PTP wall was constructed in 1976 to protect the city from any flood threat from the Ganga.

During the inspection of the ghats, a surprise mock drill was carried out at gate number 55 of the PTP at LCT Ghat to ensure proper closure of the gates, Jha said.

Meanwhile, the water level of the Ganga is witnessing a rising trend in Buxar, Munger, Bhagalpur, and Digha Ghat in Patna.

A total of 81,67,671 people have been affected by floodwaters in 1,317 panchayats of 130 blocks, official reports said. About 81.59 lakh people were affected on Tuesday.

The Disaster Management Department said, the number of deaths in flood-related incidents remained 25 in the state.

Of the total 12 relief centres, only six centres were functional on Wednesday. About 5.50 lakh people have been evacuated so far by 27 teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).

The number of people living in relief centres has reduced to 5,198 in six centres from 13,198 people in 12 relief camps on Tuesday.

(with inputs from agencies)