Weather update: Flood situation improves in Assam, Bihar; heavy rainfall predicted in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha

New Delhi: The flood situation in Assam and Bihar improved on Wednesday as water levels in the major rivers showed a receding trend, even as widespread rainfall has been predicted in coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha in the next few days. An eight-year-old boy was killed and a teenage girl severely injured in two separate incidents of house collapse after heavy showers lashed Jammu region. The death toll in the current wave of floods in Assam stood at 86, with no death reported in the north eastern state during the last 24 hours. [caption id=“attachment_7090181” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Water gushes out of the gates of Radhanagari Dam as the water level rises in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. PTI[/caption] No fresh casualty was reported in Bihar as the death toll due to floods in the state remained unchanged at 130, but the deluge continued to affect 88.46 lakh people in 13 districts. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said July recorded above normal monsoon, bringing the overall season’s rainfall deficiency to 9 per cent. IMD Director General Mritunjay Mohapatra said the month of July recorded 105 per cent of the Long Period Average, which was five per cent above normal. He said the next two weeks will bring good rainfall. Delhiites experienced a muggy day with traces of rainfall in some parts of the city hardly providing any relief, as the maximum temperature settled at 34.5 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature was recorded at 27.8 degrees Celsius, a notch above the season’s average. Rains triggered multiple landslides disrupting traffic for several hours on the 270-km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, forced the suspension of the ongoing Amarnath yatra from Jammu and closure of the new track to the famous Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine, officials said. Director of State Meteorological Department Sonam Lotus said a record-breaking rainfall of 342 mm was experienced in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir since late Tuesday, while Katra town, which serves as the base camp for the Vaishno Devi pilgrims in Reasi district, recorded 292.4 mm rainfall during the same period. The weatherman had issued a ‘yellow’ warning alert, the least dangerous out of the weather warnings, for the Jammu region till Thursday. The officials said the heavy rainfall has increased the water level in water bodies across Jammu region, including the Tawi river, but there was no immediate threat of floods. The AP Weather Forecasting and Early Warning Research Centre said the Bay of Bengal will be in a rough state from August 4 to 7 under the influence of a low monsoon, causing widespread moderate to heavy rainfall in coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh from August 3. It also said gusty winds up to a speed of 50-70 kmph are likely with the tides reaching a height of 2.5 to 4 metres over north coastal Andhra Pradesh. While fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea during the period, a general advisory has been issued to people asking them to stay away from coastal areas. The weatherman also predicted heavy rain in many parts of Odisha in the next few days as a low pressure area may form over the Bay of Bengal. The low pressure area, likely to form over northeast Bay of Bengal by August 4, will trigger rainfall in many places of the state and the intensity will increase from August 2, a MeT official said. Under its influence, rainfall would increase gradually from August 2. Heavy rainfall is likely to occur in Koraput, Kalahandi, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Jharsuguda and Angul districts of Odisha. Under the influence of the system, high velocity wind is likely to sweep coastal and adjoining districts of Odisha. The catchment areas of rivers like Mahanadi, Brahmani, Baitarani, Budhabalanga and Subarnarekha may receive heavy precipitation between August 3 and 6, the official said. The situation in Malkangiri district of Odisha which faced flood-like situation on Monday following incessant rains, improved considerably with water receding from submerged low-lying areas. Monsoon remained active in many states of north India. The maximum temperatures dropped below normal limits across Haryana and Punjab. Chandigarh received light rain and recorded a maximum of 29 degrees Celsius, four notches below normal, the meteorological department said. In Haryana, Ambala registered a high of 30.7 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal, while Hisar recorded a maximum of 34.5 degrees Celsius. In Punjab, Amritsar recorded a maximum of 28.7 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal. Many parts of Himachal Pradesh also received light to heavy rains as monsoon remained active during the last 24 hours, the meteorological department said. Heavy to very heavy rainfall occurred at isolated places in the districts of Kangra, Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Mandi, the MeT centre said. Nagrota Surian received the highest 156 mm rainfall ijn the hill state since Tuesday evening, followed by Sujanpur Tihra (146 mm), Ghumarwin (124 mm), Amb (113 mm), Nadaun (112 mm), Bharari (104 mm), Dehra Gopipur (103 mm), Sarkaghat (88 mm), Sundernagar (84 mm), Mandi and Hamirpur (82 mm each), it added. Parts of Rajasthan recorded 2 to 4 cm rainfall in the past 24 hours, a MeT official said. Kota received 8 mm rainfall, whereas traces were recorded in Jodhpur. With 40.6 degrees Celsius, Bikaner was recorded the hottest in the state followed by 38.5 degrees in Jaisalmer, 37.1 degrees in Sriganganagar, 36.5 degrees in Churu, 35.9 degrees in Barmer and 33.2 degrees Celsius in Jaipur, the MeT added.