Red alert in parts of western UP as heavy rain kills seven, disrupts normal life

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday issued a red alert for parts of western Uttar Pradesh, warning of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall over the next 24 hours, as intensified monsoon activity claimed at least seven lives and triggered widespread disruption across the state.

Rain-related deaths were reported from Sant Kabir Nagar, Kushinagar, Bulandshahr, Shamli and Ghaziabad, while several districts grappled with waterlogging, traffic congestion and localised flooding. The IMD said the spell of widespread rainfall was likely to continue across Uttar Pradesh till 11 July, with temperatures expected to dip by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius over the next two to three days.

In Sant Kabir Nagar, two women died in separate lightning strikes while working in fields in Mehdawal tehsil. Officials identified them as Chandni, 17, from Katya village and Varsana, 60, from Pratapur village. Sub-divisional magistrate Arun Kumar said reports had been sought and government assistance would be extended to the families.

Another lightning fatality was reported from Kushinagar, where 14-year-old Rahul Kumar died in Thadhibhar village under Vishanpura police station limits. Police said the boy was standing on a field bund when lightning struck as his mother handed him vegetables harvested from the farm. The family declined a post-mortem examination.

In Bulandshahr, two people were killed and four others injured after a wall collapsed on makeshift tents erected beside it in Mundakheda village under Khurja following heavy rain. Circle Officer Shobhit Kumar said the wall came down around 5 pm, trapping six people who had been living in temporary shelters near a vacant plot. Two of the injured were referred to a higher medical centre. Rescue operations have been completed and no one else is believed to be trapped.

A similar incident was reported from Thanabhawan town in Shamli district, where a 49-year-old man, Shahid, died after the wall of a tin shed collapsed on him and his two sons during heavy rain. His sons, Aman, 17, and Nauman, 15, sustained serious injuries and are undergoing treatment, police said.

In Ghaziabad, a three-year-old girl died after being swept into a waterlogged drain outside her house in Sarvodaya Colony under Vijay Nagar police station limits. Assistant Commissioner of Police Upasana Pandey said the child fell into rainwater that had accumulated outside the house. Additional Municipal Commissioner Jung Bahadur Yadav said the family would be provided compensation as per rules.

The weather office has forecast very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Amroha, Moradabad, Rampur, Bareilly, Pilibhit, Sambhal and Badaun, while several districts in western and central Uttar Pradesh are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rain.

The impact of the downpour was visible across major urban centres. In Noida and neighbouring Ghaziabad, heavy rain caused severe waterlogging and traffic snarls. In Vasundhara Sector 13 in Ghaziabad, a section of a residential road caved in next to an under-construction basement, causing a parked car and a scooter to fall into the pit. An electricity pole also tilted into the crater. No injuries were reported.

Noida witnessed knee-deep waterlogging in several areas, with vehicles breaking down on flooded roads and long traffic jams reported through the day. In Prayagraj, flooding was reported at the Civil Lines police station and the Mahila Thana, while the transport department office in Noida’s Sector 33 was also inundated.

The Ghaziabad district administration ordered the closure of all schools across boards on Friday in view of the forecast of heavy rain.

In Muzaffarnagar, continuous rainfall over the past 48 hours disrupted normal life, with police reporting that 20 goats were killed after a kutcha house belonging to a villager, Mohan Lal, collapsed in Bhokaheri village under Bhopa police station limits.

Lucknow too received significant rainfall, recording 27.2 mm between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm on Thursday. The IMD has warned of heavy rain over the state capital and adjoining areas over the next 24 hours. The city’s maximum temperature settled at 33 degrees Celsius, 1.9 degrees below normal, while the minimum was 27.2 degrees Celsius, 1.2 degrees above normal. Relative humidity touched 94 per cent.

Rainfall data for the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Thursday showed the heaviest showers in western Uttar Pradesh. Meerut recorded 94.9 mm, Muzaffarnagar 68.2 mm, Bareilly 58.8 mm and Moradabad 22 mm. Aligarh received 18 mm, Kanpur (IAF) 15.8 mm, Prayagraj 13.2 mm, Shahjahanpur 10 mm, Azamgarh 9.4 mm, Hardoi 9.2 mm and Sultanpur 6 mm.

The weather pattern also affected temperatures across the state. Agra recorded the highest maximum temperature at 36.2 degrees Celsius, followed by Jhansi and Basti at 35 degrees Celsius. Among the cooler major cities, Meerut recorded a maximum of 26.1 degrees Celsius, Muzaffarnagar 26.5 degrees Celsius and Aligarh 26.2 degrees Celsius.

According to the IMD, monsoon activity has intensified because of a low-pressure system over northwest Madhya Pradesh and an associated upper-air cyclonic circulation. The system is expected to move north-northeastwards over the next 24 hours, enhancing rainfall activity across Uttar Pradesh.

The department has advised residents in districts under red and orange alerts to remain cautious, warning that intense rainfall may trigger waterlogging, reduced visibility, traffic disruption and localised flooding. Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning are also likely in many parts of the state.

With PTI inputs