Declare situation in Himachal national disaster: Civil societies

IANS | August 17, 2023 11:45 AM

Shimla, Aug 17 (IANS) As Himachal Pradesh is battling the worst natural calamity in 50 years, civil society organisations and environmental activists have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider declaration of the situation as a national disaster or calamity of rare severity under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act of 2005.

Ganga water level nears danger mark in UP's Bulandshahr

IANS | August 16, 2023 1:15 PM

Lucknow, Aug 16 (IANS) The water level of the Ganga river on Wednesday neared the danger mark at Narora barrage in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district, owing to incessant rain and inflow of water from Haridwar and the Bijnor Ganga Barrage.

Amid criticism, Biden vows to visit fire-ravaged Hawaii

IANS | August 16, 2023 9:44 AM

Washington, Aug 16 (IANS) Amid criticism of his administration's response to the deadly wildfires in Hawaii's Maui Island that have killed at least 99 people so far, US President Joe Biden has vowed to visit the state "as soon as he can".

Hundreds of villages in Punjab, Himachal inundated; evacuation underway

IANS | August 16, 2023 9:13 AM

Chandigarh/Shimla, Aug 16 (IANS) Hundreds of villages in Punjab located along the swollen Satluj and Beas rivers were inundated on Wednesday with the opening of floodgates of the crucial Bhakra and Pong dams as the inflow in these reservoirs has alarmingly increased owing to torrential rains in its catchment, mainly Himachal Pradesh, in the past three days.