Rain brings North India to its knees: 15 dead, roads blocked, states on alert

Five people were killed in Himachal Pradesh – a family lost three members when debris fell on their house in the village of Panevalli, Kotgarh, while landslides claimed the lives of a woman in Lankadbeer village, Kullu, and an individual in Kakkiyan, Chamba.

In Jammu and Kashmir, the bodies of two soldiers who drowned in Poonch were recovered.

The India Meteorological Department attributed the heavy rainfall to the interaction of a western disturbance and monsoonal winds. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General, IMD, said, “This happens because of large-scale systems. We had good monsoon circulation, and at the same time a western disturbance was passing over the region. So, we had strong westerly winds, along with moist easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal, resulting in convergence of these two types of winds over northwest India.”

Shimla: Rescue operation being carried out after an elderly woman was buried under debris after a landslide following heavy rainfall, in Shimla, Sunday, July 9, 2023. (PTI Photo)

Mohapatra said that the maximum intensity of rainfall was seen on Sunday over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and on Saturday in Jammu and Kashmir. “The systems are moving slowly, which is why we saw heavy rainfall in parts of northwest India on Sunday. On Monday, this activity is likely to reduce,” he said.

On the heavy rainfall spells that broke records in some parts, Mohapatra said the phenomenon is not unusual since heavy and extremely heavy rain can be expected in the monsoon.

Schools will remain shut in Delhi, Gurgaon and Faridabad on Monday, while Himachal Pradesh has announced that all schools and colleges will remain closed for the next two days in view of the damage caused by the rain to roads and highways.

Rainfall shattered records in both Delhi and Chandigarh, with waterlogging across the two cities. With 153 mm from 8.30 am on Saturday to 8.30 am on Sunday, Delhi witnessed a 41-year record being broken — this is the highest rainfall recorded in a single day since July 25, 1982, when the city received 169.9 mm of rainfall in 24 hours.

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.

Mandi: Beas river in spate following heavy monsoon rains, in Mandi, Sunday, July 9, 2023. (PTI Photo)

Roads across Chandigarh were flooded, and for the first time, both flood gates of the Sukhna lake were opened till 7 inches, the Chandigarh Chief Engineer of the administration said.

UT Chief engineer CB Ojha told The Indian Express, “Usually we open both the flood gates up to 2-3 inches.”

In Himachal Pradesh, property worth crores was destroyed as torrential rains lasting 35 hours caused flooding and landslides, washing away roads and bridges. The heavy rain resulted in the closure of more than 800 roads, including six national highways, across the state.

The Aut Bridge, an iconic 50-year-old structure connecting Kullu, Banjar, Luhri, and Rampur, was washed away by the swift current of the Beas River in Mandi district. The Larji hydroelectric project, located along the Beas River, has been adversely affected by the floodwaters, resulting in water entering the powerhouse. As a precautionary measure, the project’s power supply has been temporarily disconnected, leading to a blackout.

As per the state emergency operation center, the past 36 hours have witnessed 13 landslides and nine instances of flash floods in the state. Mandi, Kullu, and Lahaul and Spiti districts have been severely affected by heavy rainfall, leading to significant damage to both private and government property.

In response to the heavy overnight rainfall, authorities of Pandoh Dam had opened the floodgates to release excess water. Consequently, the water level of the Beas river rose significantly, surpassing the danger mark.

The Mandi District Disaster Management Authority, headed by the chairman and District Magistrate Arindam Chaudhuri, held a meeting with officials on Sunday to review the situation.

In Jammu and Kashmir, the bodies of two soldiers who drowned in Poonch were recovered, and the Srinagar-Jammu national highway remained closed for a second consecutive day.

The two soldiers had drowned in a swollen stream in Surankote. The Army identified one of the soldiers as NK Subedar Kuldeep Singh of Taran Taran in Punjab. He was posted with 16 Rashtriya Rifles. The identity of the other soldier will be disclosed soon, the Army said.

Mandi: A vehicle being swept away in floodwater following heavy rainfall, in Mandi district, Sunday, June 25, 2023. (PTI Photo)

The Srinagar-Jammu national highway remained closed for a second straight day after a landslide washed away the road near the newly built Panthyal tunnel.

The Met also issued a “red warning” for Kathua, Samba and “other lower catchment areas of Jammu region as risk of flood… (has) increased considerably”. In south Kashmir’s Pampore, the Jhelum was flowing above the danger mark.

In Uttarakhand, a high alert has been issued following incidents of landslides and road blockages caused by heavy rain in the last 24 hours. As per the bulletin issued by the Meteorological Department for the next five days, warnings and alerts have been issued for all the districts till July 13.

In a tweet, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami requested everyone to remain vigilant and avoid unnecessary traffic in view of the heavy rains in the state for a few days. “Being a hill state, whenever the weather gets worse here, there are instances of landslides, road blockage, and overflow in rivers and drains due to excessive rain. This is why all DMs and the Disaster Management Department have been put on high alert. The tourists are also requested to plan their trips as per the weather updates. The Kanwar Yatra is also going on and there is waterlogging at places of parking and traffic. Still, we are monitoring all such places and ensuring cleanliness,” Dhami informed the media, adding that all concerned officials have been directed to keep their phones switched on.