New Delhi, 28 July (H.S.):

The northeastern and western regions of the country are unlikely to get any respite from torrential rainfall for the next five to six days. Rescue teams have been deployed in vulnerable areas to deal with possible emergencies.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), several parts of Delhi-NCR are likely to witness light to moderate rainfall between Wednesday morning and afternoon. Rainfall activity may continue during the night as well, accompanied by strong winds. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to remain between 32-34 degrees Celsius and 22-24 degrees Celsius, respectively. Similar weather conditions are likely to prevail on July 30 and 31, although fluctuations in temperatures are expected during these two days.

The weather department said that the deep depression formed over northern Odisha and adjoining Gangetic West Bengal is likely to influence weather conditions in several states. Under its impact, extremely heavy rainfall (more than 21 cm) is expected at isolated places in Chhattisgarh and eastern Madhya Pradesh on July 29, western Madhya Pradesh on July 30, and the Gujarat region on July 31.

A warning of very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall has been issued for isolated places across the northwest, central, eastern, northeastern, western and southern peninsular regions of the country during the next five to six days. The IMD has cautioned that intense rainfall may trigger flooding in some areas, affecting normal life. Waterlogging could disrupt transportation, making movement difficult for commuters. Several regions may also experience strong winds during this period.

At present, the central and state governments are jointly monitoring the potentially affected areas. Necessary arrangements are being made to tackle disaster situations, while administrative officials and rescue teams have been instructed to remain prepared to prevent people from being trapped in flood-like conditions.

During the last 24 hours, extremely heavy rainfall (above 21 cm) was recorded in Odisha and Uttarakhand. Very heavy rainfall (12-20 cm) was reported in Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, eastern Madhya Pradesh, Konkan, Goa and Madhya Maharashtra, while heavy rainfall (7-11 cm) was recorded in Gangetic West Bengal, Haryana, Rajasthan, western Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat region, Assam, coastal Karnataka, south interior Karnataka and Telangana.

Meanwhile, rescue personnel are engaged in flood-affected areas, providing assistance to local residents. Essential supplies, temporary shelters, medical aid and other facilities are being provided to those who have been displaced due to the floods.

It may be noted that torrential rainfall in northeastern and western regions has caused widespread destruction. Several houses have been submerged, and many people have lost their lives due to flooding. Sudden floods triggered by heavy rainfall have also swept away numerous animals, while rescue teams have managed to relocate many affected people and animals to safer locations.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar