Flood-like situation in Uttar Pradesh districts as rivers in spate due to heavy rainfall

The districts of Uttar Pradesh near the Madhya Pradesh border are witnessing flooding in various areas as rivers like Yamuna, Chambal, Betwa and Ganga are in spate. Etawah and Auraiya are most affected by the flooding as it has disrupted normalcy in these districts.

The water flow in the Ganga river is reported to be above the danger mark at Kanpur and Farrukhabad districts. Other districts that have witnessed flooding at isolated areas include Jalaun and Hamirpur.

Also Read: Heavy rains cause floods in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan; 300,000 people affected in West Bengal

Inter-district movement of people has been restricted by the local administration in the affected districts as a preventive measure.

Land erosion

Apart from the floods throwing life out of gear, there have been reports of erosion of land along the rivers in the villages of Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, and Barabanki where the Ghaghra and Sharda rivers have been in spate for a week.

In Mirzapur, the road between Akorhi and Babura villages has been blocked as the Rani Karnavati river is flowing above the bridge that connects the two villages.

Situation worse in Madhya Pradesh

Meanwhile, the neighbouring state of Madhya Pradesh has witnessed a far worse effect of the flooding as at least 12 deaths have been reported and an estimated 6,000 people have been evacuated during the relief and rescue operations carried out by the Indian Army’s Flood columns and operations led by the Indian Air Force.

Also Read: Water-related disasters dominate the globe; world population exposed to floods increased by 24% since 2000

As many as 1,171 villages are reportedly affected by heavy rains and floods in Parvati, Kuno and Sindh rivers in Shivpuri, Sheopur, Datia and Gwalior district.

Meanwhile, a new study published in Nature journal shows “an increase of 20 to 24 per cent in the proportion of the global population exposed to floods, ten times higher than previous estimates”. This increase has been recorded since the year 2000.

The study, which used satellite imagery, has pinned India as the country with the largest population at the highest risk of floods, followed by China, Bangladesh and Pakistan.