Heavy rains lash UP, 16 districts face floods

Lucknow  :  After days of humidity and high temperatures, heavy rains lashed Uttar Pradesh Thursday. With many rivers across the state in spate, officials say that at least 16 districts face flood-like situation.

Water has entered many villages in Unnao, Barabanki, Farukkhabad, Faizabad and Bahraich districts and at least 16 districts face flood-like situation, a state government official told IANS here.

According to the state relief commissioner’s office in the state capital Lucknow, the Sharda river in the Lakhimpur Kheri district has breached the danger mark owing to heavy rainfall and release of water from the Banbasa barrage near the India-Nepal border.

Around 1.5 lakh people in 134 villages in Lakhimpur Kheri are facing flood-like situation, while the number of people facing similar situation in 32 villages of Sitapur district is around 1.19 lakh, an official in the state relief commissioner’s office said.

Although the rains brought some respite from the sweltering weather to the people of the state, many parts of the state capital Lucknow were inundated and life in the old part of the city came to a grinding halt.

According to a Met department official here, what started as a drizzle in the city late Wednesday tuned into a heavy downpour by Thursday morning. Rains have also hit Kanpur, Kannauj and Mainpuri districts. More rains are expected in the coming few days.

“From now on, the rains would keep growing both in intensity and frequency,” the Met department official told IANS while signalling that the monsoon is active over the state.

The official added that rainfall hase occurred in most parts of eastern, central and eastern Uttar Pradesh.