PM talks to ministers, officials, takes stock of situation due to excessive rainfall

New Delhi [India], July 10 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke with ministers and officials and took stock of the situation in the wake of excessive rainfall in parts of India.

The national and state disaster response teams are working to assist people affected by rain.

"PM @narendramodi spoke to senior Ministers and officials, and took stock of the situation in the wake of excessive rainfall in parts of India. Local administrations, NDRF and SDRF teams are working to ensure the well-being of those affected," PMO said in a tweet.

Amid the heavy rains in different parts of the country, India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday predicted that rainfall activity will continue over Northwest India, but the intensity of showers may differ.

About 14 people have been killed in Himachal Pradesh in rain-related incidents.

State Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday appealed to people to stay home for the next 24 hours amid the possibility of heavy rains during the period.

The state has announced three helpline numbers - 1100, 1070 and 1077 - for help of people who are in difficulty and need assistance.

Heavy rains in Delhi on Saturday and Sunday and broke 41-year record with several areas waterlogged.

NDRF officials said teams at its Ghaziabad centre were ready to deal with any unprecedented situation due to the increasing water level in Delhi.

Dr Charan Singh, Head of the Regional Meteorology Centre here, said on Sunday that there are chances of heavy to very heavy rainfall for the next two days in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and East Rajasthan.

"If we speak about Northwest India, especially the mountains then all the Himalayan regions especially Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will witness extremely heavy rainfall for the next two days and after that, the intensity of rainfall will decrease, but heavy rainfall will continue to occur. If we speak about Jammu and Kashmir, there are chances of heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours and after that of heavy rainfall", Singh had said.

"As far as Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and East Rajasthan are concerned, there are chances of heavy to very heavy rainfall for the next two days, but the intensity will decrease after two days. Rainfall activity will continue to occur over northwest India," he added.