North India Rains: Schools and colleges will remain closed in Punjab on Tuesday. (PTI)
At least 22 people have been killed in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir after incessant rain pounded the northern states of the country. Army has been kept on standby and a red alert has been issued in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.
Water levels in rivers rose across Himachal Pradesh, with the level in Pong Dam nearing danger mark. Bhakra Beas Management Board announced the release of 49,000 cusecs of water from Pong dam at 3 pm on Tuesday into Beas river. Around 1 lakh cusecs were released late night from Ropar barrage into Sutlej.
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Road, rail and air traffic were disrupted throughout the day across the region. There were reports of 15-20 per cent Kharif crop damage (cotton, bajra, paddy and moong) across Punjab and Haryana.
According to the Meteorological department, heavy to very heavy rain is expected at isolated places in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, western Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh
Vehicles negotiate a waterlogged road during heavy rains in Chandigarh. (Express Photo)
River Yamuna is overflowing with bubbling thick foam and filth. Appearing like snow, the toxic froth is full of residential and industrial waste whose foul stench could be smelt from a distance. The river is spilling over and flowing above the danger levels after Haryana opened the Hathnikund barrage in the wake of heavy rains and flash floods in parts of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.
The plight of the river worsened after thousands of broken or semi-dissolved idols of Ganesha made of Plaster of Paris and coated with toxic chemicals such as mercury, cadmium, lead and carbon were immersed in the Yamuna on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi which commenced late last month. READ MORE
Around 300 people, including 45 IIT Roorkee students, who were stranded in various parts of Lahaul and Spiti district are safe, a Himachal Pradesh government official said Tuesday. Following snowfall, the Rohtang Pass and inner roads in the area got blocked due to which about 300 people, including the students who were on a trekking expedition, got stranded, Keylong Sub Divisional Magistrate Amar Negi was quoted as saying by PTI.
Negi said two Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters have been sought from the state government for rescuing the stranded people. All the people, including the 45 students, who got stuck due to bad weather and snowfall are safe, he said. The stranded people were being provided shelter and food by the district administration.
State Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur will visit Lahaul-Spiti district later in the day to take stock of the situation arisen out of recent snowfall, he said.
The water level in Yamuna has crossed the danger mark of 204.83 m and is flowing at 205.14 m right now. According to officials, the level is expected to touch 205.34 m by tonight and is expected to start lowering by tomorrow morning. The levels have risen in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. Delhi government officials are meeting to discuss whether those living on floodplains will be evacuated.
Tanakpur-Pithoragarh route blocked at several places due to heavy rainfall in Uttarakhand, reports ANI
A foreign tourist couple, who were trapped in snow in Jammu and Kashmir's Kargil district, was rescued on Tuesday, officials said. "Micheal Mobius and his wife got trapped in snow between Pudzong La and Rang dum on Monday," a district administration official said.
"They somehow sent a distress signal to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, where we received an SoS following which the Deputy Commissioner of Kargil immediately requested the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir and Commissioner Civil Aviation Jammu and Kashmir to request the Air Force to launch a rescue operation."
An aerial rescue operation was launched on Tuesday morning and the couple were air-lifted by an Indian Air Force chopper to Leh, according to the official. The couple is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital
-IANS
Eight travellers, who had gone missing from Lahaul-Sipti in Himachal Pradesh, were rescued and are safe at a camp, authorities said. The group comprise a woman from Brunei, Sanjida Tuba, a man from the Netherlands, Abby Lim, and six Indians — Priyanka Vora, Payal Desai, Dipika, Divya Aggarwal, Abhinav Chandel and Ashok had gone missing on Monday evening
According to IMD, the low-pressure area over Haryana and the neighbouring regions have become less marked and the rainfall is expected to decrease in the next 24 hours.
Continuous downpour in the past three days has resulted in excess rainfall in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh – more than the seasonal average. However, Haryana, as on Monday morning, was still deficit by 10 per cent of the average rainfall. According to the official data, Himachal Pradesh recorded a seven per cent increase and Punjab saw a six per cent increase in the rainfall than the normal owing to the continuous rainfall of past three days. Chandigarh in the region recorded the highest seasonal increase of rainfall — 14 % surge to the seasonal normal.
Villages near Sutlej River have been put on high alert in the wake of heavy rainfall in the state. A team of police personnel were deployed to monitor the situation and move out families to safe areas if required.
The police has also had a meeting with Army officials and have begun to identify weak buildings which may collapse due to rainfall.
“We have put villages near Sutlej river on high alert. Additional police force has been sent to Machhiwara from Khanna for checking and rehabilitation of border villages. If need be, we are ready to shift families to safer places. Two families have been shifted to a community centre in Khanna city-2 area after their homes were found to be weak and there was an apprehension of a collapse. More such buildings are being identified which may collapse due to continuous rain,” Khanna SSP Dhruv Dahiya said
“We have also arranged for safety equipments including boats, life jackets, ropes, torches, dragon lights, tubes etc as they will be needed for night patrolling today,” the SSP added.
Army units along the rivers Beas, Ravi and Sutlej have been asked to keep their flood relief columns ready in case the civil administration requisitions their deployment. “As of now the situation does not warrant any deployment but if the water level in the rivers rises and threatens habitations then we may be required to extend help,” said a senior officer.
The IAF activated its helicopters stationed at Air Force Station, Sarsawa, after receiving a request from Himachal government for the rescue of some persons stuck due to incessant rains at Kullu.
One MI-17 helicopter was launched from the helicopter unit based at Sarsawa, piloted by Squadron Leader Vipul Gupta with Sqn Ldr Dhiman as the co-pilot. The helicopter reached the spot and found 19 people stranded on an islet on the swelling Beas river. “The pilot brought the helicopter to a low hover and the crew helped the stranded people into the aircraft. They were then flown to the local airfield of Bhuntar,” the IAF spokesperson said. Read more
Farmers in Haryana and Punjab complain of crop damage due to continuous rainfall. "It has been raining continuously since 3 days. All the crops are damaged. The crops which we had already sent to the market are damaged too and are not getting any buyer," a farmer from Karnal said.
Cotton, another major kharif crop, has also left farmers concerned as rains could hit its yield at this point of time when the harvesting is underway. "Cotton is at picking stage and rains have come as a blow for farmers," said an official of the Haryana Agriculture Department. Farmers have sought adequate compensation for the damage. "We have demanded from the government to get revenue assessment done of damaged crop and also sought adequate compensation to affected growers," Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh said.
Five persons died while a dozen people sustained serious injuries in six separate incidents of roof collapse in Kapurthala and Nawahshar due to heavy rainfall. Read more
Agriculture department officials said that the damage would be more because the final assessment of damage can be done only after the rain stops. Read more
Light to moderate rain/thundershowers expected in many parts of Hoshiarpur, Nawashar, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Sangrur, Patiala, Fatehgarhsahib, Rupnagar, SAS nagar, Panchkula, Ambala, Yamunanagar, Sonipat and Kaithal districts.
After hours of incessant rains in the Kedarnath Valley in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district, a five metre stretch of the bridle path near Lincholi, which falls on the way to Kedarnath, was washed out today afternoon, leaving over 500 pilgrims stranded in the Valley. Another landslide at Phata, around 15 kms from Kedarnath, resulted in the national highway getting blocked. Rudraprayag District Magistrate Mangesh Ghildiyal said, “(Over) 500 pilgrims who were returning from Kedarnath got stranded at Lincholi (8 kms from Kedarnath) when a five-metre stretch of the bridle path got washed out due to continuous rains.”
On the possible outbreak of water-borne diseases, Punjab CM has asked the Health Department to take preventive measures by organising special medical checkup camps and arranging sufficient stock of medicines in this behalf
Punjab CM has asked his ministers and MLAs to tour their respective areas extensively to assess the ground situation and tie up with the concerned departments for immediate redressal of hardships being faced by the people.
The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has issued an advisory to Punjab for releasing "excess" water from the Pong dam in the wake of incessant rains in catchment areas of the Beas river. The BBMB authorities said they have been constantly monitoring the water-level situation. "Due to high pattern inflow in the Pong reservoir and considering forecast of heavy rains in the Beas catchment area, excess water from the Pong dam can be released. All necessary steps be taken by all concerned to avoid any damage or loss of life and property in the downstream areas," as per the advisory issued by BBMB.
A road caved in following continuous rainfall in Amritsar on Monday. (PTI)
As per the announcement by Northern Railway, 12241Chandigarh- Amritsar Superfast express, which commenced on 23.09.2018, will be short terminated at Mananwala. Consequently, the 12242 Amritsar- Chandigarh Superfast Journey, which commenced today, will short originate from Mananwala.
According to a press release by Northern Railway, due to waterlogging in Amritsar, the following trains have been cancelled/diverted:
- 12460/ 12459 Amritsar – New Delhi- Amritsar and 14681/ 14682 New Delhi -Jallandhar City - New Delhi Intercity express trains have been cancelled for the day.
- 19225 Bathinda – Jammutawi express, which commenced its journey on 23.09.2018, has been diverted and will run via Jalandhar City - Mukerian - Pathankot instead of Jallandhar City – Amritsar- Pathankot.
- 19226 Jammutawi - Bathinda express, which commenced its journey on 23.09.2018, has been diverted and will run via Pathankot - Mukerian - Jalandhar City instead of Pathankot- Amritsar - Jalandhar City.
The maximum reservoir level of Ranjit Sagar Dam is 527.91 meter. The current level is 524.80 meter. An alert has been sounded in a dozen villages in Mukerian, Hoshiarpur district in Punjab.
Vehicles stuck on a snow-covered road following fresh snowfall in Rohtang on Monday. (Express photo/Pradeep Kumar)
In view of the incessant rains and looming flood threat, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has announced the closure of schools and colleges on Tuesday.
Five members of a family were killed after a landslide hit their dhok (temporary shelter at higher reaches) in Jammu and Kashmir's hilly Doda district on Sunday night.
Two Khanna families were shifted out of their homes, which looked like they were about to collapse, by the police today afternoon. The families were moved to a shelter. (Express photo/Nirupama Subramanian)
Punjab CM Amarinder Singh appealed to the people to try and not move out of their houses in the next 24 hours. "I appeal to the people to exercise restraint. During the next 24 hours, they should move out of their houses only if it is unavoidable," he said.
Fatehgarh Sahib Deputy Commissioner has declared holiday for both government and private schools and anganwadi centres tomorrow. Meanwhile, snowfall at Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district saw temperatures nosedive beyond freezing point, according to the Meteorological Centre. Keylong recorded its lowest temperature at minus 0.2 degree Celsius. The MeT has further said that light to moderate rainfall would occur at scattered places in Himachal tomorrow, thereafter the weather would almost be dry.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has also asked district authorities to make arrangements for equipment to drain out flood water. "Districts in catchment areas of three rivers should arrange enough boats to rescue affected people," Singh further said. The CM will review the arrangements in a meeting with senior officers later in the day and further instructions will follow thereafter. The Punjab government has also released helpline numbers: 100, 112, 95929-14053 (Police Control Room, 95929-14037 SHO/Doraha & 97179-17789 SSP/Khanna).
Meanwhile, in Delhi, heavy rains lashed several parts of the capital and NCR on Monday, causing waterlogging and traffic snarls on major intersections in the city. Roads such as Fatehpuri T-point on S P Mukherjee Marg, Rajdhani Park, Mehrauli-Badarpur T-point and Pramod Mahajan Marg were waterlogged. A breakdown of a truck on Nangloi flyover further caused congestion on the road from Nangloi towards Peeragarhi. The MeT office has predicted cloudy sky with moderate rainfall and scattered thundershowers.
According to data recorded at 8.30 am, Dalhousie in Chamba district experienced 170 mm rain in the past 24 hours, followed by Chamba 117 mm, Manali 121 mm, Kangra 120.8 mm, Palampur 108 mm, Dharamshala 62.6 mm and Una 62 mm. The capital Shimla experienced 23.1 mm rainfall.
However, authorities said that water level at the Bhakra and Pong Dam was below the danger mark. While water level in Bhakra dam was at 1,655 metres as against a capacity of 1,680 metres, in Pong it was at 1,384 metres. The maximum capacity at Pong dam is 1,390 metres. Water has, however, been released from Punjab's Ranjit Sagar Dam. Water has also been let out from Sukhna lake and the road towards Kishangarh has been closed.
Water has been released from Sukhna Lake. (Express photo by Sahil Walia)
A man was feared dead after he was swept away in the swelling Nahad Khad (rivulet) in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district. According to the district administration, Tilak Raj, a resident of Luskwara village in Jawali tehsil, was swept away when he was crossing the rivulet on Monday morning. Efforts are on to trace the body.
Meanwhile, water level at Chandigarh's Sukhna Lake has reached maximum capacity, a first in decades. The administration has decided to discharge the water into two nullahs. On the other hand, officials managing two major Punjab dams — Bhakra Dam over Sutlej river and Pong Dam over river Beas — said as the water levels were way below their maximum reservoir capacity there would be no water release even if it rained heavily in the catchment area of these dams in Himachal Pradesh.
Water level at Sukhna Lake has reached maximum capacity. (Express photo)
On Sunday, as many as 19 people stranded at Dobi in Kullu district after flash floods and heavy rains were rescued by deploying an Indian Air Force chopper. Schools in most districts were closed on Monday as a precautionary measure. People residing in low-lying areas, especially in Kangra, Chamba and Mandi districts, are being evacuated, PTI quoted officials as saying. In Chamba, the Ravi river is still flowing at a dangerous level.
About 19 people stranded at Dobi in Kullu district were rescued by an IAF chopper on Sunday. (Express photo)
The Army on Monday rescued two youths stranded due to flash floods in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district and brought them to Bhuntar airfield amidst inclement weather and rain. The due were stranded at Saurabh Van Vihar in Palampur, PTI reported. On Sunday, the fire brigade and rescue teams were sent to the spot to rescue the youths. On Monday, the Kangra district administration made a requisition to the Army to rescue them. Normal life has been hit since Saturday in Himachal due to heavy rains in the mid hills and plains and snowfall in the upper reaches of Himachal Pradesh.
Heavy rains continued to batter Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh on Monday, inundating low-lying areas. Director, Punjab Agriculture, Dr Jasbir Singh Bains said reports of standing paddy crop getting flattened due to rain and wind were coming in from various parts of Punjab. The Indian Meteorological Department has predicted more rain over Monday and Tuesday for Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.