Ranchi, June 23 (IANS) Continuous torrential rains have severely affected normal life across several districts of Jharkhand.

Urban areas such as Ranchi, Ramgarh, Latehar, Jamshedpur, Hazaribagh, Bokaro, and Giridih are facing the brunt due to waterlogging, with floodwaters entering homes in low-lying areas.

The relentless rainfall has led to multiple incidents of house collapses and people drowning in rivers, reservoirs, and waterfalls.

In Hazaribagh’s Rasoi Dhamna Baratola village under the Barhi police station area, the roof of a dilapidated house collapsed amid heavy rain late Sunday night.

A couple — Habib Ansari and his wife Jumera Khatoon, both around 50 years old — died after being buried under the debris. Their bodies were recovered by villagers on Monday morning.

In Palamu district, two children were swept away while bathing in rain-swollen rivers. Twelve-year-old Rakesh Kumar Amanat, a resident of Uksu village under Panki police station, was found dead on Monday.

Fourteen-year-old Sameer Ansari from Basaria village of the same area also drowned in the Amanat River. His body is yet to be recovered.

On Saturday evening, two more children drowned in Barka Bandh in Palamu town.

In Bokaro’s Chandrapura block, a section of a newly constructed bridge and its guard wall on the Jamunia River was washed away in the rain. The bridge had not yet been inaugurated.

As a precautionary measure, authorities have temporarily closed the road to the popular Panchghagh Waterfall in Khunti district due to a sharp rise in water levels.

According to the latest data from the Meteorological Department, Jharkhand has received 102 per cent more rainfall than the seasonal average so far.

Ranchi tops the list with 265 per cent excess rainfall, followed by Latehar (241 per cent), Lohardaga (190 per cent), Seraikela-Kharsawan (172 per cent), and Palamu (156 per cent).

Only Deoghar, Godda, and Pakur districts have received slightly below-average rainfall, with deficits ranging from 12 per cent to 19 per cent.

–IANS

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