Uttar Pradesh flood alert: These districts are on high alert as Yamuna, Chambal, Saryu breach danger mark due to…

Authorities in several districts of Uttar Pradesh are on high alert as major rivers, including the Saryu, Ken, Yamuna and Chambal, are flowing at or above danger levels following continuous rainfall in the hilly regions and release of water from dams, officials said on Friday.

Uttar Pradesh districts on high alert 

Rescue and relief operations have been initiated in Ayodhya, Banda and Etawah, and alerts have been issued in low-lying areas, they said.  In Ayodhya, Junior Engineer Akash Pratap Singh of the Central Water Commission said the Saryu river was flowing 56 cm above the warning level and rising at a rate of two cm every three hours. The district administration has issued an alert in residential areas and urged devotees to avoid venturing into deep water at bathing ghats. Police and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams have been deployed for surveillance.
    
Several villages in Pailani tehsil of Banda district have been inundated by the swollen Ken and Yamuna rivers. District Magistrate J Reebha inspected the affected villages of Sindhankala and Nandadev and directed officials to expedite relief efforts. The administration has started distribution of food, drinking water and life jackets, and set up relief camps with medical facilities, officials said.

Chambal flowing above danger mark

In Etawah, the release of 14,000 cusecs of water from the Kota Barrage in Madhya Pradesh has caused the Chambal and Yamuna rivers to swell. The Chambal is flowing above the danger mark, they said. District Magistrate Shubhrant Kumar Shukla visited the flood-hit villages of Gadhakasda, Haroli and Bahadurpur in Chakarnagar tehsil, where roads have been submerged. Boats have been deployed for transportation, and arrangements have been made for medical teams, mobile toilets and clean drinking water in the affected areas, officials added.

This is the third flood alert this month, warning that the water levels might cross the danger mark on Saturday. The district administration has issued three flood control helpline numbers for residents to reach out to in case of any emergency. These numbers are 0532-2642577, 0532-2642587, and 1077. 

(With inputs from PTI)