New Delhi [India], September 3 (ANI): Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce a Special Relief Package for states witnessing devastating destruction amid incessant rainfall.

Congress leader Gandhi shared a post on X, stating the flood situation in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh is 'extremely worrying'.

https://x.com/RahulGandhi/status/1963082328269586919

Seeking help from the Central government, Gandhi said, 'In such difficult times, your (PM Modi) attention and the active help of the central government are extremely necessary. Thousands of families are struggling to save their homes, lives, and loved ones.'

'I urge that an immediate announcement be made for a special relief package (Special Relief Package) for these states, especially for the farmers - and that relief and rescue operations be expedited,' Gandhi further said in X post.

Meanwhile, amid heavy rainfall in several Indian states, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued red alert warnings for several districts across Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, northern Punjab, northern Haryana, eastern Rajasthan, southwest Uttar Pradesh, northwest & eastern Madhya Pradesh and Odisha.

According to IMD, districts under red alert in Jammu & Kashmir include Poonch, Mirpur, Rajouri, Reasi, Jammu, Ramban, Udhampur, Samba, Kathua, Doda, and Kishtwar. In Punjab, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Nawashahr, Rupnagar, Moga, Ludhiana, Barnala, and Sangrur are under red alert; while in Himachal Pradesh, Mandi, Una, Bilaspur, Sirmaur, and Solan are under similar warnings. Haryana's Yamuna Nagar, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Panchkula, and SAS Nagar are also under the same warning.

Between 8:30 am on Tuesday and 5:30 am on Wednesday, several regions in Jammu & Kashmir witnessed significant rainfall. The highest was recorded in Reasi at 203 mm, followed closely by Katra at 193 mm, Batote at 157.3 mm, Doda at 114 mm, and Baderwah at 96.2 mm. Jammu city itself received 81 mm, while other stations such as Banihal (95 mm), Ramban (82 mm), Kokernag (68.2 mm), and Pahalgam (55 mm) also saw heavy rainfall.

Moreover, rainfall was also reported in Srinagar (32 mm), Samba (48 mm), Kishtwar (50 mm), Rajouri (57.4 mm), Srinagar (32 mm) and Qazigund (68 mm) during the same period.

Fresh data up to 6:45 am on September 3 showed extremely heavy rainfall in Jammu & Kashmir's Reasi at 230.5 mm. Apart from Jammu & Kashmir, widespread rainfall was also observed across several states.

From 8:30 pm on Tuesday to 5:30 am on Wednesday, heavy rainfall occurred in Chhattisgarh, while moderate rainfall was reported in parts of Haryana, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, coastal Odisha, coastal Maharashtra, coastal Karnataka, and the Andaman Islands.

Earlier today, the water level of the Yamuna River in Delhi crossed the danger level mark. The warning mark for the city is 204.5 metres, while the danger mark is 205.33 metres. Evacuation of people starts at 206 metres. The water level is rising due to continuous heavy rainfall in Delhi for the past few days.

As a preventive measure amid the anticipation of the possible flood situation, people residing in the low-lying areas nearby have been shifted to Mayur Vihar Phase-1. (ANI)