At the devastated Tapovan power project site rescuers worked nonstop even as the odds of finding the trapped workers alive seemed slim.
The overall flood situation in Bihar remained grim on Monday with major rivers in spate. Around 1.5 million people have been affected by the deluge in 11 north Bihar districts, where floods have claimed 52 lives so far, official sources said.
By now, monsoon should have reached the central India, including parts of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, but it is yet to reach Maharashtra.
The government on Wednesday said any attempt by China to set up a hydropower station on the Brahmaputra river will act as an encroachment on the entitled rights of lower riparian states like India and Bangladesh and adversely affect the availability of water in its basin during the lean season.
Despite facing the fury of floods every year, Bihar and Assam are among the states where legislative measures, suggested by the Centre to minimise the damage, have been pending for the past 33 years.The model bill, prepared by the Central Water Commission way back in 1975, will empower authorities to remove dwellings from flood-prone areas.The bill, if implemented, will seek to replace dwellings in low-lying areas by parks and playgrounds.
Central Water Commission sources said the situation continued to be grim following incessant rains in the catchment areas of these rivers.
A girl was killed and two others were injured in rain-related incidents in Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh where major rivers were flowing above the danger mark at a number of places.
Making a statement in the House "regarding an avalanche in Chamoli District of Uttarakhand", the Union minister said these inputs were based on the information received till Monday 5 pm from the state government.
According to the latest Central Water Commission report, as many as 41 reservoirs across the country are choked up with excess water that might result in disastrous floods especially in the western and southern belt of the country.
Water scarce Delhi might get an enhanced supply by the end of this month with the Haryana Government agreeing to let its canals be used for carrying water from the Bhakra Nangal dam to the capital's Nangloi water treatment plant.
The Centre directed Uttar Pradesh and Bihar on Sunday to prevent dumping of dead bodies in the Ganga and its tributaries, and focus on their safe disposal and a dignified cremation after corpses were seen floating in these rivers following a spurt in the number of coronavirus cases.
A senior official of the Union water resources ministry said it was an unprecedented situation on the Chinese side where Tsangpo broke a 150-year record with swollen waters and hence China has shared the information with India.
Rediff Labs analyses the current storage departure of water in 91 reservoirs across the country.
22 bodies, 13 from Kottayam district and 9 from Idukki were recovered from various rain-hit areas while National Disaster Response Force teams continued their rescue operations.
Major rivers like Bagmati, Kosi, Kresh and Gandak continued to recede, a Central Water Commission report said.
The water-level of the river Ganga on Tuesday hovered near the danger mark, threatening a flood-like situation in the district.
A 13.2 MW small hydro project on the Rishiganga river was swept away in the glacier burst in Uttarakhand on Sunday, but there is no danger of floods in the downstream areas as the water level has been contained.
Six people were killed in rain-related incidents in Uttar Pradesh where major rivers flowed above the red mark today as showers drenched several parts of the state.
Swirling waters inundated 12 districts of Buxar, Bhojpur, Patna, Vaishali, Saran, Begusarai, Samastipur, Lakhisarai, Khagaria, Munger, Bhagalpur and Katihar.
Over 80 cattle lost their lives and over 600 houses were damaged in rain-related incidents.
A portion of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Sunday, triggering an avalanche and a deluge in the Alaknanda river system that washed away hydroelectric stations, leaving at least seven people dead and 125 missing who are feared dead.
Only traces of rainfall were recorded in a few areas of the national capital on Thursday which continued to experience sultry weather.
The cyclone lay about 720 km east northeast of Chennai over the Bay on Monday and it is very likely to move west southwestwards and intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday.
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Sowing had started on a sluggish note in several parts of the country because of delay in the onset of the monsoon but has picked up pace subsequently as the rains progressed and performed appreciably well in August.
'We requested controlled release of water without waiting for the water level in the reservoir to reach its full level.'
The Sikkim government is planning to convert an artificial lake, formed by a massive landslide in the state's northern part in August last year, into a tourist spot.
'India is planning to construct a multipurpose reservoir.' 'It will be a 10,000 MW hydropower project to offset the impact of the hydropower project by China.'
Despite day-long discussions, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu failed to reach an agreement on the quantum of water to be released.
The toll in Uttar Pradesh floods on Monday mounted to 41, with reports of 13 more deaths in the state where over 1,000 villages were affected by the flood waters of several rivers flowing above the danger mark.
Meanwhile, China has denied plans to construct a tunnel to divert Brahmaputra river waters.
A team of six trekkers from New Delhi and Shimla is missing in Kinnaur district, officials said. A rescue operation will be launched.
Despite Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis' ambitious plan, 40 per cent of the state is reeling from drought and its water tanker economy is booming. As of February 2019, the state government declared drought in 151 of the 358 talukas.
Rain for the central and northwestern parts a concern.
In the Northeast, while three people died in Assam, two each lost their lives in Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram in rain-related incidents.
Besides, the government would also undertake and promote steps for water conservation and curbing extraction of underground water, which is depleting the water table and is a matter of concern, the minister said.
