Ranchi, August 3: Jharkhand has been battered by heavy rainfall over the past two days, resulting in the collapse of numerous bridges and culverts. Late Friday night, a diversion over the Garga River in Ranchi’s Ratu Road was washed away. On Saturday morning, a bridge over the Bokaro River in Gomia block of Bokaro district, built at a significant cost, was swept away. Tragically, a villager is reported missing.
The headman of Gomia block reported incessant rainfall for the past 24 hours, causing the water level of the Bokaro River to rise significantly. The strong current swept away a portion of the bridge. The collapse has completely disrupted traffic between Gomia and Patherwara blocks of Bokaro district. With the river in spate, transportation between Patherwara and Hazaribagh has also come to a standstill. No buses from Bokaro to the state capital, Ranchi, operated today.
Light to moderate rainfall was reported across Jharkhand on Friday. Cities like Ranchi, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur, Garhwa, Palamu, Latehar, Lohardaga, Gumla, Simdega, Hazaribagh, Ramgarh, Chatra, Koderma, and Khunti experienced rainfall throughout the day. Waterlogging in urban areas has made movement difficult for people. The rain has brought cities to a standstill. Low-lying areas have been inundated.
Abhishek Anand, a meteorologist in Ranchi, stated that a low-pressure area over northern Jharkhand and its vicinity moved westward at a speed of 5 kilometers per hour in the last six hours. As of 3:00 AM today, it was centered near 24.2 degrees north latitude and 84.6 degrees east longitude, approximately 70 kilometers south-southwest of Gaya (Bihar) and 60 kilometers east-northeast of Daltonganj (Jharkhand). Over the next 48 hours, it is expected to move west-northwest towards northwest Jharkhand, southeast Uttar Pradesh, eastern Madhya Pradesh, and adjoining northern Chhattisgarh.
Low-lying areas of Ranchi are facing a flood-like situation. Hundreds of houses have been inundated. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been deployed to rescue stranded people. Chief Minister Hemant Soren has announced a holiday for all government and private schools today. The rainfall has led to a temperature drop of 2 to 3 degrees Celsius.
Rainfall Recorded:
- Ranchi: 89.8 mm
- Khunti: 60.5 mm
- Bokaro: 58.5 mm
- Latehar: 49.5 mm
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.
