Heavy to very heavy rainfall alert in 16 states in next two days: NDMA

Heavy to very heavy rainfalls are expected in 16 states of India, including Kerala, Uttarakhand and West Bengal in next two days, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Saturday.

Rough to very rough sea conditions are likely to prevail over west central Arabian Sea. Fishermen are advised not to venture into this area, the weatherman said.

In a statement, NDMA said heavy rains are expected in large areas along northwest Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood in next 48 hours.

Western part of the monsoon trough has shifted northwards and are likely to remain there during the next two-three days, said the weatherman.

Red warning for heavy to very heavy rain at a few places with extremely heavy falls at isolated places very likely over Uttarakhand on Sunday and Monday, the NDMA said quoting a bulletin of the India Meteorological Department (MeT).

According to the weatherman, heavy to very heavy rains are likely at isolated places, including Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

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Rainfall activity over Karnataka and Ghat areas are likely to increase the intensity in next two-three days with a fresh surge of monsoon trough, said the weatherman.

According to the Home Ministry’s National Emergency Response Centre (NERC), as many as 718 people have lost their lives in incidents related to floods and rains in seven states during the monsoon season so far.

Almost 171 people lost their lives in Uttar Pradesh, 170 people have died in West Bengal, 178 have died in Kerala and 139 have died in Maharashtra, according to NERC reports.

NERC said, as many as 52 people lost their lives in Gujarat, 44 died in Assam and eight perished in Nagaland during the monsoon trough related calamities.

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Over 37 people have been reported killed in the flood-hit Kerala and more than 50,000 people were left homeless since August 8, the officials said.

(With inputs from agencies)