Normal life was thrown out of gear in Himachal on Saturday as heavy rains triggered landslides, uprooting trees and blocking roads in the interior areas.
All the major rivers and their tributaries are in spate and flowing above danger mark. The rains inundated low-lying areas in Jungle Berry in lower hills, while trees uprooted by landslides blocked highways in Nurpur and adjoining areas.
Incessant heavy rains forced people to stay indoors and people living along the banks of the rivers have been asked to remain alert.
Sujanpur Tira in Hamirpur district was wettest in the region with 187 mm of rains till Saturday morning, while Nahan and Renuka in Sirmaur district recorded 185 mm and 169 mm, followed by Dehra Gopipur 160 mm, Dharamshala 148 mm, Nadaun 143 mm, Jogindernagar 125 mm, Dharamshala (AWS) 111 mm, Bangana 106 mm, Una and Mehre 105 mm.
Nurpur in Kangra received 102 mm rain, followed by Bangana 99 mm, Bhoranj 92 mm, Nagrota Suriyan 90 mm, Baijnath 74 mm, Gaggal 73 mm, Palampur and Ghamroor 73 mm, Rampur 49 mm, Sangraha 38 mm, Pandoh 34 mm, Manali 32 mm and Dharampur 31 mm.
Intermittent rain was continuing in the region, causing marginal fall in temperature.
The local Metrological office has warned of heavy rain at some places and thundershowers at many places in the State during the next 24 hours as a cyclonic circulation extending up to 0.9 km above sea level, lies over Punjab and adjoining Haryana.
Heavy rain in New Delhi
Heavy rainfall lashed the national capital on Saturday, flooding almost all arterial roads in the city and throwing traffic out of gear. Throughout the city, streets were flooded as drains overflowed as rain beat down with intensity.
Heavy traffic snarls were reported in almost all areas of the city due to waterlogging as well as non-functional traffic signals. Bumper-to-bumper traffic was witnessed at major intersections such as ITO, Laxmi Nagar, Moti Bagh, Kashmere Gate, Munirka, Dwarka and Dhaula Kuan. Commuters had a hard time navigating the roads in most parts of the city as visibility also dropped. Pedestrians were seen wading through streets flooded by overflowing drains.
“It took me 40 minutes to reach the Akshardham metro station from my home, a distance which I cover within five minutes every day. Traffic was moving very slow,” said Ridhi Chouhan, who works at a private bank in Noida.
People were stuck at metro stations and bus stops waiting for the showers to subside while autorickshaw and taxi drivers had a field day charging hefty sums from those in a hurry to reach office.
“I had to shell out Rs 180 (for an auto) from my home in Munirka to my office at Connaught Place today. On normal days, the fare is not more than Rs 100,” said Ashok Ojha, who works at a telecom company.
