Heavy rains lash parts of Jharkhand, schools shut in many districts

Incessant rain disrupted normal life across Jharkhand on Saturday, with low-lying areas inundated, vehicle movement affected and several rivers flowing above danger levels, officials said.In some places, people were seen wading through knee-deep water, while several vehicles got stuck on waterlogged roads.Many districts, including Ranchi and Jamshedpur, ordered the suspension of classes from kindergarten to Class 12 on Saturday in view of the weather conditions.Officials said the continuous rain since September 23 had led to flood-like conditions in several districts, though some improvement is expected from Sunday as the weather system is likely to weaken by Saturday evening.In East Singhbhum district, the Subernarekha river was flowing 2.02 metres above the danger level, while the Kharkai river was 4.50 metres above the danger mark.

East Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner Rajiv Ranjan on Saturday morning asked people to stay away from riverbanks and move to safer places." The water level of the Subernarekha and Kharkai rivers is above the danger mark. Citizens are urged not to go near the riverbanks, to take shelter in safe high places, and to follow the instructions of the district administration. Stay alert, stay safe!," Ranjan posted on X.In Ranchi, the water level in Kanke dam, also known as Gonda dam, reached 27.05 feet against its capacity of 28 feet, another official said.

He added that water levels had also risen significantly in the city’s Hatia and Getalsud dams.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a bulletin: "The depression over north Chhattisgarh and adjoining northeast Madhya Pradesh moved north-northwestwards. Continuing to move further north-northwestwards, it is very likely to weaken gradually into a well-marked low-pressure area during the subsequent 12 hours." With widespread rainfall across the state, Jharkhand’s rain deficit came down to 3 per cent on Friday.

The state received 962.6 mm of rain between June 1 and September 25 against a normal of 992 mm.However, eight districts are still recording deficient rainfall, with Pakur reporting the highest shortfall at 51 per cent, followed by Chatra at 36 per cent and Sahibganj at 33 per cent.The IMD considers a rainfall deviation of 19 per cent as normal. At the same time, eight districts have recorded surplus rainfall, led by West Singhbhum at 47 per cent, Seraikela-Kharsawan at 21 per cent and Ranchi at 15 per cent.- Ends(With PTI inputs)