Heavy rains lash Haryana, IMD issues yellow alert, nine districts affected

Heavy downpour and overflowing of rivers have brought life to a standstill in Haryana. Many roads have been blocked and several acres of crop land have been inundated.

Chandigarh:Incessant rainfall in northen India since Saturday has caused severe waterlogging in several parts of Haryana. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a 'yellow alert' for the state today.

The Ghaggar, Markandey and Tangri rivers are running full and spilled over the nearby villages, affecting 40 percent of the area. Nearly 600 villages across nine districts are submerged in water with Ambala being the worst hit. Several acres of crop land in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Fatehabad and Sirsa districts have been damaged due to the incessant rainfall.

A total of 33 trains including Vande Bharat Express passing through Ambala have been cancelled. Also seven roads have been closed to traffic due to severe waterlogging in Ambala thereby snapping communication with three states. Teams of National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) have been deployed along with police in Ambala for evacuating people.

The rising water level of Yamuna river has affected Karnal Panipat and Sonepat districts of Haryana. Around 3.20 lakh cusec of water was released from Hathnikund Barrage to the Yamuna river today compared to 3.09 lakh cusec on Monday while over 2 lakh cusec was discharged on Sunday. At the same time, the water level is continuously increasing due to the rain. Water at Hathnikund Barrage in Yamuna river is constantly flowing above the danger mark.

Home Minister Anil Vij is continuously touring the affected areas in Ambala and all schools in the district have been ordered to remain closed till July 15.

Over 20,000 acres of crops have been destroyed in Panipat due to the current flood-like situation. With water flowing over paddy crops, farmers are worried that the crops will have to be replanted.