Monsoon wreaks havoc in UP, from roads to temples, only water, seven dead, flood like situation in many districts

Uttar Pradesh. Monsoon has now become fully active in Uttar Pradesh and continuous rains have worsened the situation in many districts. Rain continued throughout the day on Monday in the capital Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Bareilly and about 20 cities of the state. Due to incessant rains, roads caved in at many places, hospitals were flooded and even religious places were waterlogged. Expressing the possibility of heavy to very heavy rain in 69 cities of the state, the Meteorological Department has advised people to remain alert.

The maximum impact of rain was seen in Firozabad where patients and health workers had to face a lot of trouble due to water logging in the government hospital premises. Policemen were seen doing duty in knee-deep water with shoes in their hands. Due to the breach of the canal in Shamli district, a large part of the surrounding road caved in and the water of the canal spread into the villages and fields, due to which the crops of the farmers have started getting affected.

Due to continuous rains and water coming from the hilly areas, the water level of the major rivers of the state is also increasing rapidly. Due to rise in the water level of Ganga in Varanasi and Prayagraj, the stairs of many ghats have been submerged in water. Many small temples including the famous Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple in Kashi have also been flooded. At the same time, the water level of Saryu river in Ayodhya is continuously increasing due to which vigilance has been increased in the areas along the river banks.

Deforestation has started on the banks of Saryu River in Ballia and Sharda River in Lakhimpur Kheri. The administration fears that if the rain continues like this, a large number of villages may get hit by floods. Due to continuous rains in Sant Kabir Nagar, about three hundred years old Baba Baijunath temple also collapsed, due to which there is an atmosphere of concern among the people having religious faith in the area.

During the last 24 hours, seven people lost their lives in accidents related to rain and lightning. In Muzaffarnagar, five people of a family died due to the collapse of a kutcha house, while in Ballia and Chandauli, two farmers working in the fields died due to lightning. After these incidents, the administration has appealed to the people to avoid going to open places and fields during bad weather.

According to the Meteorological Department, due to the meteorological system formed in the Bay of Bengal and the active monsoon line, heavy rainfall may continue in the state for the next five to six days. Orange alert has been issued in many districts till July 22, while even after that there will be a possibility of heavy rain in some areas. The administration has advised people living in low-lying areas to remain alert and avoid unnecessary movement along the river banks.

While on one hand the continuous rains have provided relief from the scorching heat, on the other hand it has also badly affected life. Now everyone’s eyes are on the next phase of the season because the coming few days may prove to be challenging for Uttar Pradesh.