India News Highlights: After days of deluge, north India begins restoration efforts; Rain alerts for Gujarat, Rajasthan & Chhattisgarh

Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria submitted a detailed report on the flood situation in five districts of Punjab —Amritsar, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Ferozepur — to Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

The Governor visited these five flood-affected districts from September 1 to 4 and apprised the Union Minister of the ground situation there, a communique by Raj Bhawan said. He informed about the extensive damage caused to life, property, crops and infrastructure due to the floods and also shared the details of relief and rehabilitation operations being carried out by the Punjab Government, District Administration, Army, NDRF and other agencies.

Union Minister Chouhan assured the State of all possible assistance from the Centre to expedite relief and rehabilitation operations.

The Jammu-Katra shuttle train service was suspended for the second day Thursday in the wake of floods and landslides.

Heavy rains triggered landslides blocking the portal of tunnel number 16 on the rail track between Ramnagar and Manwal in the Jammu-Udhampur section.

“Due to heavy rainfall and landslides, railways have decided to cancel the shuttle train service (between Jammu and Katra) today,” Chief Public Relations Officer Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay said.

The shuttle services, with the induction of four trains between Katra and Jammu, had started on September 1, and were scheduled to run till September 15. -PTI

Due to the closure of the Sangrur Ara Gate to prevent the potential backflow of the Ghaggar, the Jhambo Choa has overflowed.

An alert has been issued for villages near Jhambo Choa. The villages of Kheri Nagaiyan, Sihal, Bras, Dhuhar, Dugal Kalan and Khurd, Haryao Khurd and Kalan, Selwala, and Khanewal are advised to remain cautious.

Three people who were trapped inside an old house that collapsed due to heavy rains in Jammu and Kashmir were rescued Wednesday, officials said. The incident took place in Kali Jhani Mohalla of Pacca Danga area.

Police and locals launched a rescue operation and evacuated those trapped. -PTI

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Wednesday chaired a meeting this morning to assess the situation in the area, the CM's office said in a post on X.

Abdullah directed the administration to intensify ground response, ensure clearance of waterlogged areas, safeguard essential services, carry out timely evacuations in critical zones, and provide immediate relief.

As devastating floods sweep through Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, environmental activist Guman Singh talks about how years of unchecked construction, reckless infrastructure expansion, and neglect of ecological limits have left the Himalayan region dangerously vulnerable in an episode of our Express Cafe Podcast.

Drawing a direct link between today’s disasters and long-ignored warnings, Guman Singh urges governments, policymakers, and local communities to abandon short-sighted “development” models in favor of sustainable, climate-resilient practices.

Watch the entire episode here.

According to officials of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the police, rescuers are trying to evacuate people stranded in Akhnoor’s Garkhal, Pargwal and Khiur villages as Chenab continued to flow at 43.5 feet — 1.5 ft above the evacuation level. About 40 people are reportedly stranded in Garkhal.

However, officials said water in Chenab and Tawi rivers is decreasing. Tawi is currently flowing at 13 ft – 4 ft less than the danger mark.

Heavy rain continued to batter Odisha for the third consecutive day Wednesday. The IMD said the low-pressure area, which has triggered the rain, is likely to move west-northwestwards across the state during the next 24 hours.

With the low-pressure area intensifying into a 'well-marked' system, the IMD said more rainfall is likely in the state.

Bhubaneswar and Bolangir are among the most affected districts, officials said.

The Yamuna River Monday received a peak discharge of 3.29 lakh cusecs from the Hathni Kund barrage in Yamunanagar. This was the highest flow of the season and is expected to reach Delhi and nearby areas today.

By Tuesday evening, the discharge had reduced to 1.67 lakh cusecs, said R S Mittal, superintending engineer, Haryana Irrigation Department.

The Northern Railway has announced the cancellation of 68 incoming and outgoing trains from Jammu and Katra stations till September 30, while 24 trains are scheduled to resume, officials said.

Rail traffic has remained suspended in the Jammu railway division for the past eight days due to misalignment and breaches at multiple locations in the Pathankot-Jammu section following the recent heavy rains and flash floods. -PTI

A woman and her daughter were killed in a house collapse, while 40 people were trapped in a flooded village as torrential rains pounded Jammu region for the second day on Wednesday, officials said.

The heavy rains led to increase in the water level in rivers, streams and rivulets which are flowing close or above danger mark, while major roads, including all-weather Srinagar-Jammu national highway, remained closed for the second day owing to multiple landslides and landslips between Udhampur and Banihal, officials said. -PTI

The Patiala District Administration has issued a high alert for several villages in the Rajpura Sub-Division due to heavy rainfall in the catchment area of Ghaggar River.

Residents of Sanjarpur, Untsar, Darba, Salempur, Shamshpur, Jandmagoli, Harpalan, Rampur, Saunta, Mariyan, Kapuri, Kamalpur, Sarala Kalan, Sarala Khurd, Kami Khurd, Chamarru, Lachhru Khurd, Mahidudan, Manjauli, Maru, Jambomajra, Jameetgarh, Mehmadpur, along with nearby areas, have been advised to stay alert and avoid going near the Ghaggar River, according to an advisory issued by SDM Rajpura, Avikesh Gupta,

For updates, residents may contact the Flood Control Room in Rajpura at 01762-224132.

For urgent information, people should also inform the Patiala District Administration at the Control Room number 0175-2350550.