The National Medical Commission has directed that post graduate medical students be deployed in flood-affected areas, a move which comes at a time when many northern states are battling natural disasters following incessant rains. The deployment of post-graduate medical students in the flood/disaster-affected areas of northern states and UTs shall be considered as part of the District Residency Programme training, according to a circular issued by Commission on Saturday. The District Residency Programme (DRP) for post-graduate medical students provides an opportunity to understand the healthcare needs of people at the field level. In view of the recent floods/disaster-like situations in the northern states and UTs of the country, there is an urgent requirement for healthcare professionals as part of the ongoing relief measures, the Commission said. This initiative will not only provide much-needed healthcare services at the field level but will also enable young medical professiona
With Yamuna's level touching 206.83m at Old Railway Bridge, authorities closed the bridge and began evacuating residents from low-lying areas as flood warnings were issued
A couple and their two daughters died after the car they were travelling in got swept away while crossing a flooded culvert in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district, officials said on Wednesday. Another person went missing in an overflowing stream and efforts are being made to trace him, they said. Heavy rains pounded four districts of the Bastar division, where authorities have been instructed to remain alert to deal with flood situations and launch relief measures, officials said. Nearly 70 persons have been evacuated to safer places in the last 36 hours in Bastar, Bijapur and Dantewada districts. Helicopters, boats and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel were involved in the rescue operations, they said. In Bastar district, four members of a family drowned after the car ferrying them was swept away by strong currents while crossing the flooded Kanger Nala culvert in the Kanger Valley National Park on Tuesday evening, a senior police official in Jagdalpur said. The deceased
At least 20 people were missing after a river flooded by monsoon rains on Tuesday washed away the Friendship Bridge connecting Nepal with China. The continuous monsoon rainfall in China on Monday night triggered a flood in the Bhotekoshi River in Nepal. The Miteri Bridge in Rasuwa district, 120 km northeast of Kathmandu, was swept away by flooding at around 3:15 am on Tuesday. Twenty people, including six Chinese nationals, have gone missing, official sources said. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), 55 people, including four Indian nationals and one Chinese, were rescued by the joint team of Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police. Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli visited the flood-affected areas near the Nepal-China border, including parts of Rasuwa district. He was accompanied by Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel. Oli in a social media post said the government is working on a war-footing to res
At least two persons died in flood in Odisha's Balasore district, even as the number of affected villages came down to 60 with the water levels in several rivers, including Subarnarekha, receding, officials said on Wednesday. Fire and Emergency Services personnel recovered the body of a 90-year-old man, identified as Dibakar Giri of Kusuda village in Bhograi block, while members of an Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) team found the body of Rakesh Singh in the flood water, they said. Singh hailed from Bishnupur village and was swept away in the floodwater currents on Tuesday. People of around 60 villages in northern parts of the district continued to grapple with inundated roads and fields, as heavy rains under the influence of a low-pressure belt lashed the region, an official said. The plight of the people in these villages has aggravated due to the release of water from dams in neighbouring Jharkhand, he said. The number of flood-hit villages was 100 in Balasore distri
There has been a steady rise in the share of flood-related deaths in the northeastern states
The Yamuna river in Delhi was seen covered with a thick layer of white froth on Friday with experts saying this poses health hazards for people especially as the festive season approaches. Multiple videos circulating on social media show vast sections of the river frothing, resembling clouds over the water, which gradually dissipated later in the day. Bhim Singh Rawat, Associate Coordinator of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers & People (SANDRP), told PTI, Normally, the upper segment of the Yamuna experiences significant flood spells, but this year, there have been none during the just-concluded southwest monsoon of 2024." "This is unusual, as the river generally witnesses at least a couple of low or medium flood spells in this segment every year, Rawat said. He highlighted that the pollution in the river is a serious concern affecting human health and wildlife near the river. While the river has some natural cleansing ability, pollution levels are alarming, he said, adding ..
Flood situation in several parts of Bihar worsened on Monday as embankments of Kosi river in Darbhanga district and Bagmati river in Sitamarhi were breached, officials said. The Kosi river was in spate and breached its embankment near Kartarpur block, inundating Kirtarpur and Ghanshyampur villages in Darbhanga late on Sunday, while seepage was reported in the embankment of Bagmati river in Runni Saidpur block in Sitamarhi district, they said. "The flood situation has worsened with fresh embankment breaches but it is under control. There is nothing to panic," an official said. The state water resources and disaster management departments have been working on a war footing, he said. "Altogether six incidents of embankment breach have so far been reported from various parts of the state. Some of them have already been repaired and work is going on for others," Bihar Water Resources Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary told PTI on Monday. The embankment of the Bagmati River at Madhkaul vill
A resident of the village said that the crops have been destroyed due to heavy rains and there is no food left for the animals
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sanctioned an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each of those who lost their lives in the recent flood in the northeastern state. The PM also approved Rs 50,000 each for those who were injured in the flood that wreaked havoc in Tripura, Saha said. At least 32 people lost their lives, two others were injured and one went missing in the deluge during the August 19-24 period. Saha said the ex gratia has been sanctioned from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund. My heartfelt thanks to Hon'ble PM Narendra Modi Ji for announcing PMNRF ex-gratia relief of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the floods & Rs 50,000 for the seriously injured. Your compassion brings huge support in these difficult times," the chief minister wrote on X on Friday night. In another post, Saha said the interministerial central team, which has assessed the damage caused by the flood in Tripura, has
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday expressed concern over the flood situation in Gujarat and urged the government to take all necessary steps to reduce the impact of the natural calamity. Rain-related incidents claimed nine more lives in Gujarat, taking the death toll to 16 in two days, while another 8,500 people were relocated and rescued from flood-affected areas with rains continuing to lash some parts of the state for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday, officials said. In a post on X, Kharge said, "The flood situation in Gujarat is extremely worrying as several people have lost their lives and are missing. Our heartfelt condolences to the families of those who have lost their loved ones. Our thoughts are with the affected people, who are in need of urgent food and medical assistance." "We request the Central government to ensure more NDRF & SDRF teams. We are proud of our Armed Forces and Coast Guard, .
Himachal Pradesh cloudburst: Kullu-Manali Highway, which was washed away in the cloudburst on August 1, has been partially reopened for one-way traffic
Rescuers are attempting to blast a boulder after they spotted a victim trapped under it in Rajban village in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district on Saturday where five people are still missing. Meanwhile, the hunt for about 45 people who went missing after cloudbursts in three districts -- Shimla, Kullu and Mandi -- resumed this morning. According to officials, 410 rescuers from teams of the Army, NDRF, SDRF, ITBP, CISF, Himachal Pradesh Police and home guards are involved in the hunt with the help of drones. On Friday, the death toll rose to eight in the flash floods triggered by a series of cloudbursts in Kullu's Nirmand, Sainj and Malana; Mandi's Padhar and Shimla's Rampur subdivision on the night of July 31. "A combined rescue operation is underway and efforts are afoot to search for the missing people. We are using various equipment and sensors to detect victims buried or trapped under the debris," said NDRF Commanding Officer Karam Singh whose team along with others is engaged
Rescue operations are underway on Friday to trace about 45 people missing following flash floods triggered by cloudbursts in three districts of Himachal Pradesh, officials said on Friday. With recovery of three more bodies, the death toll due to the flash floods in Nirmand, Sainj and Malana areas in Kullu, Mandi's Padhar and Shimla's Rampur subdivision has increased to eight. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu along with Education Minister Rohit Thakur visited Samej on the border of Shimla and Kullu district to take stock of the situation and talk to the victims. Over 30 people were missing after a cloudburst near Shrikhand Mahadev route on Wednesday night triggered flash floods in Sarpara, Ganvi and Kurban nallahs. Talking to reporters, Sukhu said 17-18 women and 8-9 children are among those missing. The rescue of people is our first priority. The chief minister announced an immediate relief of Rs 50,000 for the victims and also said that they would be given Rs 5,000 a month
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A stretch of the National Highway-3 was closed for vehicular traffic following a flash flood triggered by a cloudburst in Himachal's Kullu district, police said on Thursday. No casualty has so far been reported in the incident that occurred late Wednesday, they said. According to officials, the stretch between Dhundi and Palchan Bridge on NH-3, also known as Leh-Manali Road, was affected due to the cloudburst at Anjani Mahadev nullah in the Manali area. Vehicles headed to Manali from Lahaul and Spiti via the north portal of the Atal Tunnel have been diverted towards Rohtang, the Lahaul and Spiti police said in an advisory on Thursday. It also asked the commuters to travel only if necessary, drive cautiously, and stay aware of the possible danger en route. A total of 15 roads, including 12 in Mandi, two in Kinnaur and one in Kangra district were closed for vehicular traffic while 62 transformers were disrupted in the state on Wednesday night, the state emergency operation centre ..
National Disaster Response Force teams have been deployed along Varanasi ghats in Uttar Pradesh in view of the possible flood situation from the monsoon rains, said an official on Saturday.Speaking to ANI, DIG 11th batallion NDRF Varanasi, Manoj Kumar Sharma, said, "Before the arrival of monsoons and floods, the NDRF team prepares itself completely so that we have complete arrangements to deal with any situation. Two teams of the NDRF will remain deployed on all ghats in Varanasi. An awareness campaign is being spread to warn people away from deep waters."According to the latest report of the Central Water Commission, the water level of the Ganga in Varanasi is stable but the people living on the banks of the Ganga are living in fear because the rainwater from the mountains has now started coming to the plains.NDRF DIG Manoj Kumar Sharma said that the NDRF teams are on alert in Varanasi and are running awareness programmes through social media, adding that "NDRF, SDRF and PAC are ...
There is an urgent need to strengthen the climate and disaster resilience of our cities-not just to prevent the damage to life and property, but also to keep the city functioning
The flood situation in Assam continued to improve on Sunday as water level is receding fast across the state, officials said. The India Meteorological Department's Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Guwahati has also not issued any warning except predicting some rains in Barak valley and a few districts of central Assam. Meanwhile, a report by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) on Saturday night said that one person died at Gogamukh revenue circle of Dhemaji district. With this, the total number of people losing their lives in this year's flood, landslide, storm and lightning has increased to 107. The report said more than 8,40,000 people are hit due to the floods in Barpeta, Cachar, Chirang, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, Goalpara, Golaghat, Hailakandi, Jorhat, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Karimganj, Majuli, Morigaon, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sivasagar and South Salmara districts. Cachar is the worst hit with nearly 1.5 lakh people suffering, followed by Dhu
IMD weather update: The IMD has predicted heavy rain in isolated areas of Mumbai until July 12; two rain-related deaths have been reported so far from Mumbai