LUCKNOW: Even as widespread rains lashed many parts of the state on Monday, claiming over 20 lives in past 24 hours, the weatherman forecast that rains will continue at least for the next two days. The heavy rains also pose the threat of floods in major rivers.
Kharif sowing has progressed well despite the 14 per cent deficiency in monsoon rainfall till mid-July. But restocking of the depleted reservoirs has been adversely hit. This has caused concern about water availability for both irrigation and hydel power production in the post-monsoon period.
With water level rising in rivers including the Kosi, the fear of floods has begun to haunt the people living in north Bihar yet again.
"All the rivers are in full spate following heavy rains. Some rivers may cross the red mark late Wednesday or Thursday," officials of the Central Water Commission warned.
After floods claimed 33 lives in Punjab and Haryana and caused an estimated loss of nearly Rs 1,400 crore, a blame game has started between the two states.
Ironically, the two states have been fighting over water issues in the past,
with Punjab maintaining that it did not have a drop to spare and Haryana remaining determined to have its share of water from its neighbouring state.
MUZAFFARNAGAR: A flood alert has been sounded in ten districts of western Uttar Pradesh with swelling of Yamuna while water level in Ganga was also rising at many places.
Deputy secretary of the revenue department Raj Raten said that the flood alert has been issued in Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Baghpat, Meerut, Aligarh, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Hathras and Mathura districts.
Though the situation is far better than last year, inadequate and erratic rainfall in the month of June has meant that water level in most of the reservoirs in the country is slightly below the average level expected around this time of the year.
Over 8, 63, 000 people of 1,206 villages in eleven districts of the State have been affected by floods during the past about four months. Official sources while revealing these figures, also told this newspaper that four persons were also reported drowned in flood-related incidents during the period.
Floodwaters of the rivers also damaged crop area of around 56,224 hectares, said the sources.
