As heavy rains pummel North India, Army & NDRF step in for rescue ops
Several rivers in north India, including the Yamuna in Delhi, are in spate. A cloud burst in Thunag caused flash floods in Mandi, with the Beas river swelling due to the downpour.
The swollen Beas river as it flows above the danger mark following heavy monsoon rains, in Mandi, Monday, July 10, 2023. (PTI Photo) As incessant rains continued to wreak havoc in North India, majorly Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, for a third day in trot, the Army and NDRF teams have stepped in to intensify the relief and rescue operations.
A total of 39 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed in four north Indian states to tackle the heavy rains and floods. While 14 teams are working in Punjab, a dozen are deployed in Himachal Pradesh, eight in Uttarakhand and five in Haryana. In Punjab, the Army rescued 910 students and 50 others from a private university in the state after it was flooded with water due to heavy rains.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to senior ministers and officials and took stock of the situation in the wake of excessive rainfall in several parts of India, according to a statement released by the PMO. “The local administrations, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams are working to ensure the well-being of those affected,” it added.
PM @narendramodi spoke to senior Ministers and officials, and took stock of the situation in the wake of excessive rainfall in parts of India. Local administrations, NDRF and SDRF teams are working to ensure the well-being of those affected.
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 10, 2023
Several rivers in north India, including the Yamuna in Delhi, are in spate. In cities and towns across the region, many roads and residential areas are submerged in knee-deep water, with the civic system unable to hold on in the face of record rains on Sunday.
People wade through a waterlogged road following heavy monsoon rains near Yamuna Bazar Hanuman Mandir, in New Delhi, Sunday. (PTI Photo/Manvender Vashist Lav)
The hill state of Himachal Pradesh has borne the brunt of the monsoon’s fury, reporting at least 16 deaths and damage to several crucial highways and residential areas due to floods and landslides.
Himachal Pradesh: Flash floods in Mandi, Beas river swells amid rain
Four more people died due to landslides in Shimla in the worst-hit state Himachal Pradesh on Monday. The Shimla-Kalka highway remained blocked on Monday morning, as rains continued to beat down.
A cloud burst in Thunag caused flash floods in Mandi. In a video whose veracity has been confirmed by the police, water is seen gushing through the roads with debris, split tree branches and mud.
#WATCH | Mandi, Himachal Pradesh | Cloud burst in Thunag causes flash floods.
(Visuals – viral video confirmed by Police) pic.twitter.com/Og9Wm5Rjd2
— ANI (@ANI) July 10, 2023
“We have rescued 80 people today. The situation is bad as the water level of the river is rising. Our team is on alert and we are reviewing the areas alongside the river Beas,” SSP Mandi Soumya Sambasivan was quoted as saying by ANI.
On Monday morning, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a “red” alert for “extremely heavy rain” in the state.
#WATCH | BJP leader & former Himachal Pradesh CM Jairam Thakur visits Mandi to review the situation as the district is ravaged by flash floods and landslides following incessant rainfall in the state pic.twitter.com/GgH5Up6DN8
— ANI (@ANI) July 10, 2023
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said 16 or 17 people were killed in rain-related incidents in the state in the last two days. Twenty people stranded in tourist town of Manali were rescued but more than 200 others were stuck across various parts of the hill state, officials said.
Vehicles being swept away during flash floods amid heavy monsoon rainfall at Parwanoo, in Solan district, Monday, July 10, 2023. (PTI photo)
Meanwhile, officials said rail operations on the Shimla-Kalka route, a UNESCO world heritage site, have been suspended till Tuesday while educational institutions across the state were ordered to remain shut on Monday and Tuesday.
#WATCH | Himachal Pradesh: Mandi’s Panchvaktra temple has been submerged in water due to a spate in the Beas river following incessant heavy rainfall. pic.twitter.com/sk7wjpbnah
— ANI (@ANI) July 10, 2023
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Kejriwal holds review meeting in Delhi as Yamuna level rises
The national capital has seen more rain over the weekend than it usually does over the whole of July. After two days of heavy rain caused waterlogging across the city, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Monday held a meeting with senior officers to discuss the ongoing issue and the increasing water level of the Yamuna River.
“Predictions indicate flood situation won’t arise,” he said at the meeting, adding that evacuation of people from low-lying areas around Yamuna will start once river breaches 206 metre mark.
#WATCH | Delhi | River Yamuna has crossed warning level. At 1 pm, water level of the river recorded at 204.63 m. At 1 pm, 1,90,837 cusecs of water released from Hathinikund barrage into Yamuna pic.twitter.com/644xxOHYjv
— ANI (@ANI) July 10, 2023
Kejriwal also said potholes on Delhi roads will be filled with stones to prevent accidents, and that the NDMC has been asked to resolve waterlogging problems faced by residents. Further, he said that there will be inquiry into the incidents of roads caving in.
Delhi Education and PWD Minister Atishi inspects water level of the Yamuna river after heavy monsoon rains. (PTI photo)
The BJP has asked the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to order an immediate survey of very old and dangerous buildings in Delhi to avoid accidents related to structural collapse in the wake of the recent downpour.
In Uttarakhand, Ganga nears danger mark, landslides block key highways
Six people lost their lives in Uttarakhand on Sunday due to the battering downpour. The IMD has sounded a “red” alert for several districts in the hill state, as the water level has risen in all the major rivers, including the Ganga, amid a forecast of more heavy showers in the next two days.
SDRF personnel rescue Kanwariyas from drowning in the Ganga River during the holy month of Shravan, in Haridwar, Monday, July 10, 2023. (PTI Photo)
The Uttarakhand Police has issued an advisory asking travellers to avoid the hills as several roads are obstructed or at risk due to the weather conditions. National Highway (NH) 9 was blocked at a few points around the Tanakpur-Pithoragarh route on Monday morning, after the Kumaon region witnessed continuous showers. Efforts are underway to clear the NH 9 All Weather Road, news agency ANI reported.
#WATCH | Uttarakhand | Due to continuous rainfall in Kumaon, Tanakpur-Pithoragarh route blocked at a few locations. The work of clearing the road on NH 9 All Weather Road is underway by the administration. Meanwhile, passengers too remove the boulders to clear the route.
Roads… pic.twitter.com/y3RtiZ7a5T
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) July 10, 2023
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The Gangotri Highway is also obstructed at two places due to landslides, leaving some Kanwar Yatra pilgrims stranded. The road is unlikely to open today due to heavy debris falling at Bandarkot.
#WATCH | 12 people including an 8-month-old baby, 3 children, 2 women, and 6 men were rescued after they got stranded on the island built in the middle of the river due to the increase in the water level of the river in Dakpathar: SDRF Uttarakhand Police pic.twitter.com/UG5AXS03Ha
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) July 10, 2023
“Due to heavy rains in many areas of Uttarakhand state, there may be a danger of landslides on the hilly routes. Travelers are requested to avoid traveling to the mountains during this time unless absolutely necessary. Do not travel unnecessarily, stay at a safe place. For any assistance inform us on 112, we will get back to you,” Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar said in a statement.
34 dead in Uttar Pradesh due to rain
As many as 34 people have been reported dead across UP in rain-related incidents in the last 24 hours. According to a government official Monday, the deaths occurred due to lightning, drowning, and other causes as the state was lashed by heavy rainfall.
As per information provided by the state relief commissioner’s office, 17 people died due to lightning, 12 drowned, and five deaths occurred due to rainfall.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed his condolences over the loss of lives and instructed officials to immediately distribute permissible relief amounts to the families of the deceased. He has also given instructions to provide proper treatment to those injured.
#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh | Heavy rain leads to waterlogging in Tronica City area and Daulat Nagar of Ghaziabad. Visuals from this morning. pic.twitter.com/0WVXPvzouX
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) July 10, 2023
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‘Loss of lives extremely sad’: Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Monday said he was saddened by the loss of lives due to heavy rain and landslides in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and other states in north India and urged all party workers to help in the relief measures.
He also expressed his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and hoped for a speedy recovery of the injured. “The news of loss of lives due to heavy rains and landslides in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and other north Indian states is extremely sad. I express my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families and hope for the speedy recovery of all those injured,” Gandhi said on Twitter.
“All Congress workers are requested to help the authorities in relief work. We all have to together face the difficult challenges of this natural calamity,” the former party chief said.
भीषण बारिश और भूस्खलन के कारण हिमाचल प्रदेश, उत्तराखंड और अन्य उत्तर भारतीय राज्यों में लोगों की मृत्यु का समाचार अत्यंत दुखद है।
सभी शोकसंतप्त परिजनों को मैं गहरी संवेदनाएं व्यक्त करता हूं और घायलों के जल्दी स्वस्थ होने की आशा करता हूं।
सभी कांग्रेस कार्यकर्ताओं से निवेदन है…
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 10, 2023
Meanwhile, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge asked the Centre to make available additional relief from the PM CARES Fund for states affected by the torrential rain.
The weather forecast
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted light/moderate fairly widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over Western Himalayan Region, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh on Monday (July 10).
Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is also expected over western Madhya Pradesh, as per the latest forecast by the IMD.
Meanwhile, Chandigarh recorded 302.2 mm of rainfall till 8.30 am on Sunday, an all-time high for the city. “The Chandigarh observatory was set up in 2009 and prior to that, the figures were taken from the Chandigarh airforce observatory itself. Even the airforce observatory has seen maximum notches going up to 286.0 mm but not as much as the current figures,” a senior official of the MET department said.
#WATCH | Several parts of Punjab heavily flooded due to torrential rain
(Drone visuals from Rupnagar district) pic.twitter.com/j03VWrZ3kP
— ANI (@ANI) July 10, 2023
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