Four killed as rains lash UP; north sweats it out

New Delhi, July 17: Four persons were killed as heavy rains lashed Uttar Pradesh on Thursday while most of northern India grappled with hot and humid conditions.

In Delhi, where the weather was tolerably mild, citizens complained of high humidity which was measured as fluctuating between 72 and 94 per cent. The maximum temperature in the national capital was recorded at 34.4 degrees Celsius, slightly lower than 35.1 degrees yesterday.

The minimum was registered at 26.7 degrees. The woes for Uttar Pradesh unleashed by monsoons, meanwhile, continued unabated as four more people died in rain-related accidents in the state. Reports said three people were killed in an wall collapse in Pilibhit while another lost his life in a similar incident in Sitapur.

According to the MeT office, Baheri received 110mm rain while Lalitpur got 100mm. Sahaswan and Thakurdwara recorded 90mm rainfall each. With rainfall virtually refusing to cease, Central Water Commission sources said that major rivers in UP continued to flow over the danger mark at a number of places.

The Ganga was flowing close to the danger mark at Fatehgarh, Ankin Ghat and Kanpur and was maintaining an upward trend between (Phaphamau) Allahabad and Ballia. The river Sharda was flowing above the red mark at Palia Kalan while the Ghaghra had breached the red mark at Elgin Bridge in Barabanki, Ayodhya and Turtipar in Ballia.

Scattered showers were today reported in eastern Rajasthan where Dungarpur received a maximum 60mm rainfall, the weather office said. The western districts of Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jodhpur, Churu, Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh, on the other hand, remained hot and humid.

The two neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana remained practically dry today with rising temperatures and high humidity levels adding to the discomfort of the people. Maximum temperatures settled about a notch above normal in most areas across the two states. Ambala in Haryana received 13.6mm rainfall followed by 6.5mm at Chandigarh.

The forecast is for rain or thundershowers at most places across the two states in the coming 24 hours.

PTI