Several states in India were hit by torrential rains on Saturday, triggering widespread waterlogging and disrupting normal life, while many rivers in Bihar have reached danger levels.
NEW DELHI — Several states in India were hit by torrential rains on Saturday, triggering widespread waterlogging and disrupting normal life, while many rivers in Bihar have reached danger levels.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast widespread rainfall across northern and eastern India over the next few days.
Incessant rainfall threw Delhi out of gear, affecting everyday life and disrupting flight operations.
National Highway-48 between Indira Gandhi International Airport and Dhaula Kuan was inundated, while heavy waterlogging was reported at Terminal 3. IndiGo Airlines later issued a travel advisory for possible delays.
“Bad weather is currently affecting #Delhi, leading to possible delays in flight operations,” it said on X.
“Our teams are closely monitoring the situation. If you're travelling today, we recommend checking your flight status on our website. Please also allow for additional travel time, as road conditions may be slower than usual,” it added.
Delhi Traffic Police on X cautioned the public about slow traffic at various locations due to waterlogging and preparations for the BRICS Summit.
The IMD issued an orange alert for the national capital, forecasting thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and light to moderate rainfall.
Neighbouring Gurugram was also affected by rain-induced waterlogging, halting the city’s usual pace.
Immediately after the rain, traffic volume surged on the Delhi-Jaipur highway, as vehicles crawled along the stretch from Sarhaul Border to Rajiv Chowk and Subhash Chowk.
Uttar Pradesh witnessed rain and thunderstorm across many many places in the last 24 hours, with Moradabad recording the highest at 65.2 mm, followed by Meerut at 49.1 mm, Varanasi at 34 mm, Najibabad at 31.4 mm, Aligarh at 8.2 mm and Muzaffarnagar 7 mm.
The IMD has forecast heavy rain across Uttar Pradesh over the next 24 hours.
In Rajasthan, heavy rain lashed parts of the eastern region, with Sepau in Dholpur district recording the highest rainfall of 107 mm, the weather department said on Saturday.
Heavy rainfall was recorded for over 24 hours at isolated places in Dausa, Dholpur, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur, Baran and Jhalawar districts, the department said in its monsoon update.
In Kashmir, the higher reaches received the first snowfall of the season on Saturday, while the plains were lashed by brief rains accompanied by hailstorms at some places, officials said.
The mountainous areas of Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Gumri witnessed the first snowfall of this season, the officials said.
They said parts of Srinagar city and adjoining districts received rainfall early in the morning and in the afternoon, bringing down the day temperatures a couple of notches. There were reports of a hailstorm and gusty winds in some parts of the city, the officials said.
According to the MeT department, there is a possibility of brief showers on Sunday, but the weather is expected to be generally dry over the next few days.
"Currently, the monsoon trough is positioned near Jammu, and a Western Disturbance (WD) is also affecting the region; consequently, fairly widespread rainfall is expected across the Kashmir Valley. Similarly, fairly widespread rainfall is likely in the Jammu region, accompanied by a possibility of thunderstorms and lightning in isolated areas,” Meteorologist Mubeen Ahmed told PTI Videos.
In Himachal, 85 roads were blocked owing to persistent rainfall at various parts of the state. The regional meteorological office in Shimla has predicted a wet spell lasting until September 11.
In Bihar, the Ganga water level rose by 10 cm at Gandhi Ghat, crossing the 'highest flood mark' on Saturday morning, amid heavy rain in the state, an official bulletin said.
According to the state Disaster Management Department, several rivers across Bihar are flowing above the danger mark, including the Gandak at Dumriaghat and Hajipur, the Kosi at Baltara, the Burhi Gandak at Khagaria and the Ganga at Digha, Hathidah, Bhagalpur, Kahalgaon, Buxar and Munger.
Around 10.26 lakh people across 11 districts of Bihar have been affected by floods, they said.
Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary directed ministers and officials to visit flood-affected areas and closely monitor relief and rescue operations.
In Madhya Pradesh, rain continued to lash almost all parts of the state, except western Madhya Pradesh, with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams on alert and deployed at various locations to provide relief.
Around 20 districts, including Satna, Sheopur, Panna, Morena, Bhind, Guna and Gwalior in eastern Madhya Pradesh, have received heavy rainfall, resulting in a flood-like situation in many places, leading to schools being shut, officials said.