Several states in the country including Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh continue to reel under the impact of heavy rains which have been pouring on for the past few days.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for Ujjain and Rajgarh in Madhya Pradesh for Tuesday, 23 August. Schools in the state were closed for a second day at places including Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain, Damoh, Vidisha, and Agar Malwa.
Several parts of Madhya Pradesh received rain for the third consecutive day on Monday.
Meanwhile, Odisha is reportedly the worst affected with over 9 lakh people being impacted because of the floods.
Relief and rescue operations are ongoing in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, where flash floods and landslides had wreaked havoc.
In Uttarakhand, the IMD has issued a yellow alert and expressed the possibility of thunder and storms at isolated places in Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Tehri, Chamoli, and Pithoragarh districts.
IAF to Deploy Two Helicopters for Relief Ops in Vidisha
The heavy downpour over the last few days in Madhya Pradesh has led to power supply disruptions in the state capital and other places.
The Indian Air Force will deploy two helicopters for relief operations in Madhya Pradesh's flood-hit Vidisha district, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Rajesh Rajora told PTI.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has since visited the district to review the flood situation there.
Rains stopped in Bhopal on Tuesday and the power supply was restored after more than 24 hours in parts of the city, which had witnessed tree falls and traffic snarls over the last couple of days due to strong winds blowing at up to 40 km per hour, officials said.
Bhopal: A partially submerged cruise boat after high-speed winds and rains in Bhopal, on Monday, 22 August.
(Photo: PTI)
Officials said that the State Disaster Emergency Response Force and the National Disaster Response Force together rescued 190 people in Vidisha, 103 in Rajgarh, 94 in Ashoknagar, seven in Raisen, five in Jabalpur, three each in Mandla and Guna, and two in Sidhi.
The depression lying over central parts of MP near Bhopal and Sagar has moved towards Rajasthan and weakened.
Moderate to heavy rains with low intensity are likely in Neemuch, Mandsaur, and Ratlam, bordering Rajasthan, senior meteorologist with the IMD's Bhopal Office Ved Prakash Singh told PTI.
Light showers are likely in remaining parts of the state for the next three days, he said.
In the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Tuesday, Jeerapur in Guna district received the highest 294 mm rainfall, followed by Aalot in Ratlam district at 283 mm, Nalkheda in Agar Malwa at 253 mm, and Sehore at 240 mm, an IMD official said.
Bhopal, Vidisha, Rajgarh, Guna, Dewas, Betul and Chhindwara have received excessive rainfall so far, according to the IMD office.
Death Toll Rises to 32 in Himachal Pradesh, 6 in Uttarakhand
At least 32 people have reportedly died, six went missing, and 12 have been injured due to landslides and floods in Himachal Pradesh over the weekend, reported India Today.
The state's Mandi district continues to be the worst affected followed by Chamba and Kangra.
CM Jai Ram Thakur who visited Mandi on Monday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the family of the deceased.
In Uttarakhand, the death toll due to cloudbursts rose to six, after one more body was recovered from Silla village in the Tehri district. Dehradun, Tehri, and Pauri districts of the state had witnessed a series of cloudbursts on Saturday.
Massive Evacuation Drive Underway at Odisha's Balasore, Mayurbhanj
In Odisha, authorities in Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts have launched a massive evacuation drive as two major rivers – Subarnarekha and Baitarani – flowing through the regions are in spate. IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rains in the state on 23 and 24 August.
Over 9.6 lakh people have been affected in the state because of floods. Besides, in several parts of the state electricity, water supply, and road transport have been affected in the past few days.
Northern districts in the state are reportedly the worst affected after river Subarnarekha breached the danger mark at many places leaving houses in at least 134 villages inundated.
Balasore: A man pushes his bicycle as he wades through a flooded area following incessant monsoon rainfall in Balasore district, Monday, 22 August.
(Photo: PTI)
(With inputs from PTI and India Today.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)