New Delhi/C'garh/D'dun
So far so good, but more rain can spell doom for standing crops, say experts
As rain continued to lash most parts of north India on Thursday, the stark realities of the civic management came out in the major cities, where residents were left high and dry dealing with rainwater entering houses, choked drains, disrupted phone network, dirty water flowing out from taps and chock-a-block roads.
The Met department has predicted a few more spells of rainfall with thundershowers in the next 24 hours. Though the heavy rain led to a dip in temperatures, huge traffic snarls were reported in almost all roads of the major cities in north India.
With most of the roads waterlogged with choked sewers, the office-goers and schoolkids also had a tough time reaching their destinations. Traffic jams caused more inconvenience to the populace.
Even though no damage to kharif crops, including paddy and cotton, was reported in Punjab, experts warn the crops could be hit if the downpour continued. “We have checked all districts across the State but have not received any report of damage to crops, especially paddy, in the State because of continuous rains since Wednesday,” a senior official of Punjab Agriculture Department told PTI.
However, farm experts warned if rain continues to lash for more days, it can severely affect paddy and other cash crops.
“The current weather is conducive for spread of bacterial and fungal diseases like leaf blight and sheath blight on paddy, which can damage the standing paddy crop,” Punjab Agricultural University Head of the Department of Plant Pathology HS Rewal said.
He said the rain could also result in development of foot-rot disease, particularly on Basmati variety of rice Pusa 1121 that has the potential to hamper output.
Normal life was thrown out of gear in most parts of Himachal as incessant heavy rain triggered landslides at numerous places, snapped power transmission lines, disrupted telecommunication services and brought vehicular traffic to a halt in some areas.
Most parts of Himachal experienced maximum rainfall of the season during past 24 hours cutting off interior areas in the tribal belt and Kullu, Sirmaur and Shimla districts. The telecommunication links with tribal areas were also snapped, official sources said.
In view of the continuing rain, the State Education department has ordered closure of all primary and elementary schools on Friday, but asked teachers to be present in the school. The decision had been taken in view of threat posed due to rain and landslides to small children, Director Himachal Higher Education OP Sharma said.
Hindustan-Tibet National Highway was blocked beyond Theog at numerous places due to landslides and the traffic to Rampur was being diverted via Basantpur and Kingal. The tribal Kinnaur district was cut off by road due to road blockades at Jhakri, Pooh, Malling Nallah and scores of vehicles, including 15 buses of HRTC, were stranded at various places between Rampur
Reports from Manali said that the mighty Rohtang Pass (13,050 ft), gateway to Lahaul tribal valley and Kunzam Pass linking Lahaul with Spiti were closed due to fresh snowfall as BRO and Public Works Department had been pressed into service to open the roads.
Himachal had reported 50 per cent deficient rainfall than normal during the current monsoon till the end of August but it had now come down to 30 per cent due to incessant heavy rains during the month of September.
In Uttarakhand, heavy rains continued to lash most parts for the second consecutive day, disrupting normal life. Pilgrims and tourists became stranded after 11 roads, including the Gaurikund-Kedarnath road, were closed following landslide. Landslides occurred at several places en route Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines in Uttarkashi, leading to suspension of Yatra. Officials said that PWD and BRO personnel have been pressed into service to clear the debris off the roads.
For another 48 hours, Uttarakhand may witness heavy rainfall and the upper reaches may receive snowfall as well because low pressure is very strong over north Madhya Pradesh and southwest Uttar Pradesh.
Heavy rains drenched the national Capital too, bringing down the maximum temperature to 26.4 degree Celsius, but causing problems for office-goers who got delayed due to waterlogging and traffic jams on the roads. The heavy rain led to traffic jams in several parts of the Capital, including Mayur Vihar, Vasant Vihar, Munirka, Dhaula Kuan, Pragati Maidan, Moolchand, Lajpat Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, Bhajanpura and Nizamuddin.
In Uttar Pradesh, moderate to heavy rains lashed most parts of the State, causing water levels to rise in major rivers, including the Ganga.
The desert State of Rajasthan too had good showers with Atrauli recording the maximum rainfall of 11 cm, followed by Malakhera which received 7 cm rainfall in the past 24 hours, the Met office said.
Meanwhile, six persons lost their lives due to heavy rains in Madhya Pradesh, an official said on Thursday. Of the two persons died in Jabalpur, one was swept along with his bicycle while another died in a house collapse, he said. The deceased have not been identified yet.