Rains continued to lash several places in Punjab and otherstates on Monday after at least 30 people were killed and dozens reportedmissing or feared dead over the weekend across north India. Authorities inUttarakhand and Punjab launched rescue operations in several places to movepeople stranded after flood and cloudbursts as the weather department forecastmore rains in the region.

Flood alerts have been sounded in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab andUttar Pradesh as rivers, including the Yamuna, swelled to dangerous levels. TheDelhi government has asked people living in low-lying areas to move to saferplaces as the water level in the Yamuna is expected to cross the danger mark(205.33 metres), officials said.

The Yamuna was flowing at 203.37m on Sunday evening and isexpected to touch 207m on Monday as 828,000 cusecs water was released fromHaryana’s Hathini Kund barrage at 6pm, an official said.

Majority of the damage was reported from the two worst-hitstates — Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand — as heavy rains remained unabatedthrough the Himalayan belt. Hundreds were stranded after incessant rainfalltriggered landslides, snapped road links, led to shutting down of hydropowerprojects and release of excess water from dams in the region.As of Sundayevening, rain-related incidents had claimed at least 23 lives in HimachalPradesh, four in Uttarakhand while dozens were reported injured. In Punjab’sAol village, three members of a family were killed when the roof of their housecollapsed, police said.

Two people were airlifted from Arakot of Uttarkashi’s Moritehsil and brought to Sahasradhara helipad in Dehradun following a cloudburstin the area, news agency Asian News International reported on Monday. They arebeing shifted to Doon Hospital, it said. Two helicopters were sent to Arakotearlier with communication equipment and ropes and three medical teams have alsoreached Arakot.At least 10 people were reported missing as cloudbursts wreakedhavoc in several villages, damaging several houses in Arakot, Makuri andTikochi villages in Uttarkashi district, the worst-hit region in the state.

Hundreds have been evacuated to higher reaches, stateofficials said adding that roads were damaged at many places, hampering rescueefforts.

Indian Army and National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF)personnel launched a rescue operation in Punjab’s Jalandhar district on Mondayafter major breaches were reported on the Satluj River at four places inBholewal, Meowal and other villages under Philluar sub-division.As per theinitial reports, more than 20 people are still trapped even as NDRF teamsrescued four people from Nawan Khera village.

Jalandhar’s deputy commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma hasasked people in at least 13 villages of Phillaur district to be evacuated.Officials said the situation is under control in Shahkot sub-division ofJalandhar district, where around 63 villages were put on high alert. Sharmarequested residents of Shahkot to move to safer places as around 2.4 lakh cusecof water from the Sutlej is likely to hit the area during the day.