Heavy downpours across eastern and central India in the last 48 hours claimed at least 18 lives and damaged crops and property, and triggered widespread floods, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people.
The downpour and strong winds damaged standing crops in rural areas. At least 17 people were killed, and five others were injured as extremely heavy rainfall lashed several parts of Uttar Pradesh in the last 48 hours as monsoon activity intensified across the state on its retreat. Sixty-three of the state’s 75 districts recorded above-normal rainfall, with the state receiving 19 times the normal showers in the past 24 hours, according to relief commissioner Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod. Uttar Pradesh recorded average rainfall of 52.5 mm in 24 hours till 8.30 am on Saturday, while several observatories recorded over 200 mm of rain. Meanwhile, the torrential rain triggered severe waterlogging on the Ganga Expressway near the Bashiratganj toll plaza in Unnao on Saturday, disrupting traffic on the state’s ambitious 594-km infrastructure project. Unnao recorded 65 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours leading up to Saturday morning, according to the India Meteorological Department. Amid incessant rainfall in Nepal and its catchment areas, coupled with the continuous release of water from the Valmikinagar barrage, over 2,000 villagers were forced to move to safer locations after water from the Gandak river gushed into houses in West Champaran district on Saturday, said Bagaha -2’s circle officer Wasim Akram. Bihar recorded a statewide average of roughly 54 mm of rainfall over the two days covering September 24–25 (IMD data via CEIC), with continued moderate to heavy falls into the 26th and sharp localised extremes.
The state’s revenue and disaster management minister, Suresh Pujari, said southern Odisha had been particularly affected, with Koraput, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Ganjam and Gajapati districts witnessing widespread impact.
