SEVERE MONSOON DELUGE HITS NORTH, NORTHEAST INDIA, IMD PREDICTS HEAVY RAINFALL FOR NEXT 4-5 DAYS

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across Northwest and East India over the next 4-5 days. (Express Photo by Anil Sharma)

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued warnings for very heavy rainfalls at isolated places in northern and northeastern parts of the country highlighting Uttarakhand, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Gujarat region.

Torrential rains in the country have led to subsequent flooding, threatening life and inevitable property damage across regions. Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, and Mizoram continue to be on high alert. The death toll in Assam has risen to 46 this year with more than 16.25 lakh people across 2800 villages in 29 districts affected by the devastating floods.

A look at state-wise weather updates

Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh is facing a challenge as heavy rainfall in the state has rendered connectivity for 115 roads kaput, including 107 in Mandi, and disrupted 212 transformers. Apart from these, the heavy Chandigarh-Manali four-lane road is experiencing cracks and sinking, forcing traffic disruptions. The state Met office issued an orange alert until Friday as Shimla received 84 mm of rain, while Sundernagar was the wettest at 111 mm. Narkanda recorded the lowest temperature at 13.4°C, and Bhuntar the highest at 35.6°C.  

The state capital witnessed the uprooting of several trees leading to an advisory by the MeT department for damage to horticulture and any vulnerable structures. In addition, the weather office cautioned damage to kutcha houses and huts due to strong surface winds, as reported by PTI. Project manager Raj Shekar stated, “The tarring work is going at the spot at war footing.”

Shimla, Himachal Pradesh (PTI)

Shimla, Himachal Pradesh (PTI)

Uttarakhand

In a recent tragedy, the Pithoragarh district in the state saw another landslide that blocked the connectivity for Dharchula’s Tawaghat road. The town stands as an imperative camp for the Kailash-Mansarovar, Chotta Kailash, and Narayan Ashram route. Dehradun MeT department issued a red alert in the Garhwal region as all 13 districts of the state are facing heavy to very heavy rainfall. Landslides in the Dev Bhoomi have claimed nearly 32 lives and injured more than 50 people. 

Uttarakhand (PTI)

Kotdwar, Uttarakhand (PTI)

In another incident, a massive avalanche struck the Kedarnath shrine on Monday, second such incident since June. However, no causalities were recorded. Meanwhile, the incessant rains have not deterred the faith of thousands of pilgrims who have set off from Jammu towards the twin basecamps, Baltal and Palagam, of the Amarnath cave shrine. 

Northeastern states

The IMD has warned of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across Northwest and East India over the next 4-5 days. This intense monsoon activity is expected to aggravate the already dire flood situation in the northeastern states.

Assam, in particular, is grappling with a critical flood crisis. Whereas, rain-related accidents have claimed 5 lives in Nagaland, an official release said. Mudslides and soil erosions around the rivers has also led life-threatening circumstances. Another landslide in Mizoram claimed the lives of a couple and an infant on Wednesday. Neighboring states like Manipur, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh have also experienced severe rainfall, leading to swollen rivers and triggering landslides.

Shimla, Himachal Pradesh (PTI)

Heavy rainfall has triggered landslides in seven districts of Arunachal Pradesh, including Siang, East Siang, Upper Siang, West Siang, Shi Yomi, Leparada, and Upper Subansiri, disrupting surface communication. Experts from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) have also cautioned about a difficult monsoon season for the Hindukush Himalayan region, which includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, PTI reported.

Nagaon, Assam (PTI)

Nagaon, Assam (PTI)

Maharashtra

The Colaba observatory — representative of South Mumbai areas — recorded the highest one-day rainfall in July since 2015. Mumbai has been observing severe waterlogging since the inception of monsoon rains. While the nights experience incessant rainfall, intermittent showers in the day keep the streak going. The heartline of the city, trains, in many areas have come to a halt. Landslides and waterlogging leading to collection of debris and rocks is the primary reason for the tracks to be inaccessible in the city. 34 long-distance trains have been cancelled, 26 diverted and 34 short-terminated.

Worli, Mumbai (PTI)

Central Railway CPRO Shivaji Sutar said, “Three trains are stranded at Kasara railway station. Helpdesk for stranded passengers, bus arrangements, continuous announcements, catering wherever possible is being done. Buses have been arranged for passengers of long-distance trains at Kasara and Badlapur.”

The tragic incident at Bhushi Dam claiming lives of 5 family members, including children, has left the city trembling with fear for the rain related accidents. However, officials have reported that the water levels of the pertinent reseviours in city — Khadakwasla, Temghar and Warasgaon — are lower than last year. The previous month saw the city flooding in Vishrantwadi, Viman Nagar and Lohegaon, areas in proximity to the airport, The MeT department has issued heavy rainfall for the month of July.  

Delhi

Delhi on Friday recorded 228.1 mm of rain, which is the highest that the city has registered in a day in June in 88 years. Even as the intensity of rain has abated, waterlogging woes continued to haunt several parts across the National Capital Region (NCR) yesterday. In an advisory issued on Wednesday for Delhi-NCR, the IMD warned of slippery roads, low visibility, traffic snarls as well as localised waterlogging in some areas due to moderate or intense spells of rain over Central and South Delhi and adjoining areas of Gurgaon and Faridabad.

Gurugram, Haryana (PTI)

Gurugram, Haryana (PTI)

Other warnings to look out for

The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) predicted moderate to heavy rains with isolated places experiencing very heavy rains till July 12 in the state. In addition, Punjab Chief Secretary Anurag Verma directed deputy commissioners to visit vulnerable spots in their districts again and ensure that flood protection work had been satisfactorily completed. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi asked the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) to prepare a Rs 200 crore action plan to mitigate urban flooding in the state capital. Many low-lying areas in Bhubaneswar were flooded recently after heavy rain, which also caused traffic snarl on roads. 

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2024-07-04T17:23:33Z dg43tfdfdgfd