IMD issues orange, yellow alerts for MP; 113 dead, 100 missing in rain incidents in Maharashtra

NEW DELHI, Jul 25: The India Meteorological Department on Sunday issued orange and yellow alerts predicting heavy rainfall, thunderstorm and lightning in Madhya Pradesh, even as the monsoon fury continued to wreak havoc in Maharashtra where 113 people have so far died in rain-related incidents.

Several parts of Kerala in south India also witnessed heavy rainfall on Sunday, with the MeT issuing a yellow alert for several districts, including Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Kottayam, Alappuzha and Ernakulam.

Delhiites experienced a sultry Sunday with the maximum temperature settling at 37.3 degrees Celsius, three notches above the season’s average. The minimum temperature was recorded at 27.6 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year.

The IMD has issued a yellow alert for the city on Monday and forecast generally cloudy sky with moderate rain/thundershowers towards the evening. An orange alert has been issued for Tuesday with the forecast of rain accompanied with gusty winds.

Parts of Uttar Pradesh received light rain on Sunday. Agra was the hottest place in the state with the maximum temperature settling at 37 degrees Celsius.

According to the MeT office, heavy rain is very likely at isolated places in the state on Monday, while thundershowers are likely at most places in the state on July 27 and July 28.

In rain-battered Maharashtra, the number of deaths due to flooding, landslides and other rain-related incidents reached 113 with one more casualty reported in the last 24 hours, while 100 people were missing after the monsoon fury, the state government said.

So far, 50 people have also been injured in these incidents, the government said in a statement.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said 89 bodies have been retrieved and 34 people are missing following landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in the coastal regions of Maharashtra.

According to the official data, NDRF rescuers have retrieved a total of 89 bodies with the highest number of 47 from the worst-hit Taliye village under Mahad tehsil of Raigad.

As many as 1,35,313 people have been shifted to safer places, including 78,111 in western Maharashtra’s Sangli district, followed by 40,882 in Kolhapur district.

The Krishna river in Sangli and Panchganga in Kolhapur are in flood though the rains were reported to have subsided on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued orange and yellow alerts predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and lightning in large parts of Madhya Pradesh, which has been experiencing intermittent downpours for the last three days.

“Both these alerts are valid till Monday morning,” IMD’s Bhopal office senior meteorologist P K Saha told PTI.

Anuppur city in east MP received the highest 234.5 mm rainfall in the state in the last 24 hours ending 8.30 am on Sunday, he said, adding that Shamshabad area in Vidisha district of the west MP received 190.6 mm rainfall during the same period.

The ‘orange alert’ which asks authorities to be prepared for possible heavy rains and thunderstorms accompanied with lightning at isolated places, has been issued for 23 districts, namely Indore, Dhar, Alirajpur, Jhabua, Khargone, Barwani, Khandwa, Burhanpur, Ujjain, Dewas, Ratlam, Shajapur, Agar-Malwa, Mandsaur, Neemuch, Hoshangabad, Betul and Harda.

A yellow alert which advises authorities to “be updated” on the situation, warning likely heavy rains and thunderstorms accompanied with lightning at isolated places, was issued for Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh, Balaghat, Anuppur and Narsinghpur districts in the state.

Saha said a low-pressure area was lying over the northern part of the central MP and adjoining areas, and an east-west trough was running along 25 degrees north latitude. Besides, the monsoon trough was passing through the low-pressure area over the northern part of the central MP, he said.

“All these factors are causing rains in Madhya Pradesh,” he added.

Several parts of Kerala witnessed heavy rainfall on Sunday morning as predicted by the meteorological department.

According to the MeT department forecast, moderate to heavy rainfall was expected in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod districts.

A yellow alert had been issued for all these districts for Sunday.

The MeT department has also predicted strong winds in the Gulf of Mannar region, Bay of Bengal, South Andaman Sea and parts of the Arabian Sea on various days from Sunday to July 29.

Meanwhile, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (INCOIS) has issued a high wave alert for coastal areas from Vizhinjam to Kasaragod till Monday night.

Fishermen and residents along the coast have been asked to be vigilant and to avoid trips to the beach, INCOIS said in a release. (PTI)