New Delhi, September 10: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Punjab on Tuesday to assess the flood situation as heavy rains and overflowing rivers continue to wreak havoc across northern and western India, officials said.
Bharatiya Janata Party state unit chief Sunil Jakhar said Modi was “deeply concerned” about the situation and had been closely monitoring developments. “He is visiting Punjab on Sept. 9 to personally assess local conditions and provide maximum assistance to the people,” Jakhar wrote on social media platform X.
In Delhi, the Yamuna River flowed above its danger mark of 205.33 metres on Sunday morning after incessant rainfall, officials said. A day earlier, a cloudburst in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district damaged homes in Naugaon, where debris buried one residence and floodwaters entered more than half a dozen houses.
Elsewhere, heavy monsoon showers lashed parts of Rajasthan. The weather office said a depression over southwest Rajasthan and adjoining Gujarat triggered heavy to extremely heavy rainfall, with Sanchore in Jalore district recording 210 mm, the highest in the state in the past 24 hours.
In Jammu and Kashmir, Congress leader Tariq Hameed Karra demanded a comprehensive relief package for flood-hit areas, accusing the administration of showing “insensitivity” in handling the crisis. He criticised Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent visit as “casual.”
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said his state would provide 50 million rupees ($6 million) in financial aid and send a relief train with essential supplies to neighbouring Chhattisgarh, where floods have displaced thousands.
India’s annual monsoon brings around 70% of the country’s rainfall and is vital for agriculture, but it also causes widespread destruction in parts of the country each year.
