Lucknow: Incessant rains across several districts of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have caused widespread devastation, leading to severe flooding and tragic loss of life. Over the past 48 hours, 68 people have died in rain-related incidents, as reported by state officials.
The relentless downpour and rising water levels in major rivers have resulted in flooding across 16 districts. “The situation has been exacerbated by heavy rains in the Himalayan foothills of Uttarakhand, adding to the misery,” a government official said.
According to a report from the relief commissioner’s office, the fatalities include 51 people who died due to lightning strikes in 10 districts, 13 who drowned in four districts, and four who succumbed to snake bites in two districts. The breakdown of lightning-related deaths includes 16 in Pratapgarh, nine in Sultanpur, eight each in Fatehpur and Chandauli, four in Prayagraj, two in Hamirpur, and one each in Unnao, Amethi, Etawah, and Sonbhadra.
The 13 drowning victims include four each in Fatehpur and Pratapgarh, three in Etah, and two in Banda district. The snake bite fatalities include one each in Amethi and Sonbhadra districts.
Flooding has impacted numerous districts, including Gonda, Balrampur, Shravasti, Kushinagar, Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Basti, Shahjahanpur, Barabanki, Sitapur, Siddharthnagar, Ballia, Gorakhpur, Bareilly, Moradabad, and Azamgarh.
The report of Relief Commissioner’s office said that the deluge has affected 1,800,335 people living in 923 villages across the state. Emergency response teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have relocated 10,996 people to safer locations, while 191,515 hectares of agricultural land have been submerged.
Villagers trapped in flood-hit areas have been evacuated to shelters. Key rivers are flowing above the danger mark, including the Sharda in Lakhimpur Kheri, Ghaghara in Barabanki, Ayodhya, and Ballia, Rapti in Gorakhpur, Budhi Rapti in Siddharthnagar, and Kuwano in Gonda district.
“Authorities are on high alert and are continuously monitoring the situation, providing relief and support to affected communities as efforts to mitigate the disaster continue,” official said.
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