Heavy rains kill 19 in UP in 24 hrs, schools shut

Nineteen people were killed in the past 24 hours as rain lashed Uttar Pradesh, disrupting normal life, particularly in the state's central region and forcing schools in some places to shut for a day, authorities said Monday evening.

Roof collapses, cases of drowning and deaths due to lightning were reported in parts of the state. Some localities in the capital Lucknow faced waterlogging.

In Barabanki, rail tracks were flooded.

Four deaths were reported from Hardoi, three from Barabanki, two each from Pratapgarh and Kannauj, and one each from Amethi, Deoria, Jalaun, Kanpur, Unnao, Sambhal, Rampur and Muzaffarnagar districts, it said.

In Kannauj, two brothers -- Kallu (13) and Avnish (17) -- died after the thatched roof of their house in Lalkiyapur village in Tirwa area collapsed on Sunday following overnight rains, Naib Tehsildar (revenue official) Ratnesh Kumar said.

In Muzaffarnagar district, Deepika (28) died after the roof of her house in Rahmatpur village in the Bhopa area collapsed last night, while her mother-in-law sustained serious injuries, Sub-Divisional Magistrate Subodh Kumar told PTI on Monday.

In Deoria, Divya Chauhan (9) drowned while taking a bath in a swollen rivulet in the district, police said on Monday.

In 22 districts of the state, there have been over 40 mm rain in the last 24 hours including Moradabad, Sambhal, Kannauj, Rampur, Hathras, Barabanki, Kasganj, Bijnor, Amroha, Bahraich, Lucknow, Badaun, Mainpuri, Hardoi, Firozabad, Bareilly, Shahjahanpur, Kanpur, Sitapur Farrukhabad, Lakhimpur Kheri and Fatehpur.

Alleging corruption in the budget meant for 'smart cities', Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav on Monday said waterlogging in Lucknow has exposed the blank promises of the BJP government.

"The BJP has betrayed the people of the state in the name of smart cities. There was corruption and loot in the budget for the scheme due to which the situation is palpable," he said.

"The state capital Lucknow and other cities are facing waterlogging and many colonies are submerged in water and drains are overflowing," Yadav said in a statement issued in Lucknow.

According to the MET department forecast, heavy rains are likely in the eastern region till September 14 while light rains will continue till September 17, the official of the relief commissioner office said.

The western region of the state is also likely to get rains and showers till September 17, though there is an alert for lightning over the state till September 15.

In Barabanki, the movement of trains was hit as water came on the railway tracks. A passenger train was halted at the outer for some time but later the trains were allowed to pass at a very slow pace, a railway official said.

Schools in the state capital remain closed on the order of the authorities.

In Lucknow, District Magistrate Surya Pal Gangwar ordered the closure of schools and issued an advisory for the people not to venture out unnecessarily in view of the possibility of severe lightning.

All the district-level officers in Lucknow are in the field and taking stock of the problems caused due to rain.

The problem emanating from water logging is being looked into on an urgent basis in different parts of the state capital, the DM said, adding that in the past 24 hours till 8 am Monday, 99.9 mm rainfall has been recorded.

Municipal Corporation teams in urban areas and sub-divisional magistrate-led teams in rural areas are in the field and solving people's problems, a district official said, adding that besides visiting these areas, cow shelters are also being inspected and arrangements are being reviewed to ensure their security.

Senior officials rushed to the spot to make arrangements for diverting the traffic in the busy Gomti Nagar area where a part of a major road collapsed following incessant rains and the traffic diversion was brought into effect to facilitate smooth movement of vehicles, a district official said.

In Lakhimpur Kheri, heavy downpours lashed all eight tehsil areas following which District Magistrate Mahendra Bahadur Singh ordered closure of all the schools up to class 8.

Amid several urban and rural areas witnessing waterlogging on the main routes and approach roads due to incessant rains since Sunday night, the Nipun Assessment Test (NAT) scheduled to be held on Monday and Tuesday among all government-run primary and upper primary schools had to be postponed, Lakhimpur Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Pravin Tiwari said.

"The NAT examination in all basic schools would remain suspended on September 11," the BSA said

In Unnao, lightning struck at many places leaving 140 sheep dead in Hasanganj tehsil, SDM Hasanganj Naveen Chandra said.

The official of the relief commissioner's office said as many as 19 tehsils of 10 districts have been affected by flood in Ballia, Barabanki, Badaun, Farrukhabad, Kasganj, Kheri, Kushinagar, Mau, Meerut and Muzaffarnagar districts.

According to the official, 173 villages and a population of 55,982 have been affected.

No river is presently flowing above the danger level in the state as of now, but Ganga in Bijnor and Son river in Mirzapur (Bansagar dam) have seen a rising trend.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has instructed the officials of the affected districts to undertake relief works with full promptness, according to an official spokesperson.

The damage caused to crops should be assessed and the report should be made available to the government so that compensation amount can be provided to the affected farmers as per rules, the official said quoting the CM.

Shelter homes have been set up but no one has been shifted there and the NDRF and SDRF teams have been deployed in some districts and have been put on high alert, the official said.

Lunch packets and foodgrains are being distributed and vaccination of animals and medical camps are functional, the official said.

Agriculture losses, if any, are being evaluated, the official said, adding that water logging in urban areas has also been reported and efforts are on to clear the water.