India monsoon rains updates | Reduction in rainfall over Himachal, Punjab, Haryana from today: IMD

The rain ebbed in some places in north India and pelted down in others on July 11 with at least seven more people dead and hundreds stranded as raging waters gushed through villages, towns and fields – from Rajasthan to Himachal Pradesh.

State governments stepped up relief and rescue efforts in the affected districts, navigating the trail of destruction left behind by the incessant downpour of the last three days.

Four of the latest fatalities were reported in Uttarakhand and the rest in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab. This is in addition to the 37 deaths reported till July 10. - PTI

The rain ebbed in some places in north India and pelted down in others on Tuesday with at least seven more people dead and hundreds stranded as raging waters gushed through villages, towns and fields – from the desert state of Rajasthan to the hills of Himachal Pradesh.

State governments stepped up relief and rescue efforts in the affected districts, navigating the trail of destruction left behind by the incessant downpour of the last three days.

Four of the latest fatalities were reported in Uttarakhand and the rest in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab. This is in addition to the 37 deaths reported till Monday.

In Himachal Pradesh, which is among the worst hit and where at least 300 are stranded, the meteorological department warned of the possibility of moderate to high flash floods in Shimla, Sirmaur and Kinnaur districts.

Northwest India saw incessant rainfall during the last three days, with many areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan recording “heavy to extremely heavy” precipitation.

This resulted in overflowing rivers, creeks and drains that have massively damaged infrastructure and disrupted essential services in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab.

In Uttarakhand, four pilgrims from Madhya Pradesh died and seven more were injured when a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall buried three vehicles near the Gangnani bridge on the Gangotri National Highway in Uttarkashi district on Monday night.

Three of the four bodies have been recovered and efforts are underway to pull out the fourth from the rubble, an official said, adding that two of the seven people injured are in serious condition.

Floods in the Jummagad river in Chamoli district on Monday night washed away a bridge built on it, blocking the Indo-Tibetan border road and snapping contact with over a dozen border villages. The bridge was located near Jumma village on the Joshimath-Niti highway, about 45 km from Joshimath. - PTI

A chopper sent to Chandetral in Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh to evacuate stranded tourists had to return due to bad weather conditions, officiating Director General of Police Satwant Atwal said.

“Will try again as the cloud cover gives way,” she said in a tweet.

The first evacuation sortie took off around 12 noon from Bhuntar but had to return due to bad weather and a thick cloud cover.

Ms. Atwal appealed to those stranded to stay positive and said all-out efforts are being made rescue them.

“We are reaching out to you. All the government agencies are working hard to rescue people,” she said while appealing to people not to spread rumours.

The helicopter from the Indian Air Force (IAF) was requisitioned to airlift the tourists stranded at Chandertal, while a rescue team from Kaza has reached Kunzum Top and is just eight kilometres away from the lake, Principal Secretary, Revenue, Onkar Chand Sharma said.

Around 300 people, mostly tourists, are stuck in camps at Chandertal, located at an altitude of 14,100 feet, following rain and snowfall in the region.

“Two of them were facing breathing issues due to the high altitude and they would be airlifted,” Mr. Sharma said.

According to officials, about 800 people are still stranded at Chandertal and Pagal Nallah in Lahaul and different parts of Mandi. - PTI

Key highways, including the Ambala-Ludhiana national highway, were temporarily closed for vehicular traffic on Tuesday due to waterlogging following heavy rainfall in Haryana and Punjab, officials said.

Ambala Deputy Commissioner Shaleen said the decision to temporarily close the highway was taken as a stretch of the road was inundated.

Other key highways — Ambala-Chandigarh and Ambala-Hisar — have also been temporarily closed for vehicular traffic since Monday evening. Officials said water, coming through agricultural fields, was flowing on the main carriageway.

Normal vehicular movement was also adversely affected on some other highways, including state highways, in many districts of the twin States. - PTI

- PTI

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu conducted aerial survey on July 11, 2023 to take stock of the situation arising from heavy rains in the State. - PTI

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Tuesday voiced concern over the damage and destruction caused by rains in many parts of the country, and said the Centre should immediately extend help to the rain-battered States.

The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said the situation in rural areas was worrisome.

“Owing to heavy rains and floods in most states of the country, including U.P., normal life has been significantly affected. There has been loss of lives, property and livestock. The condition of the cities is bad, but the condition of people in rural areas is extremely serious and worrisome due to house collapse and widespread destruction of crops,” she tweeted.

“In such a critical situation, all State governments concerned should discharge their responsibilities to extend all possible help to affected families.The Centre should move ahead of assessment and meetings, and immediately come forward to help the States,” she added. - PTI

A 75-year-old man was killed after the roof of his mud house collapsed due to heavy rains here, officials said on Tuesday.

Hoshiarpur Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal said the incident took place on the intervening night of July 9 and 10.

Mohinder Singh died on the spot after the roof of his house in Badowal village collapsed due to heavy rain, the Deputy Commissioner said.

The Deputy Commissioner visited flood-affected areas in the Garhshankar sub-division. - PTI

The Amarnath Yatra resumed from the Jammu base camp on Tuesday afternoon after remaining suspended for three days in view of the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway for repairs in the Ramban section.

A fresh batch of pilgrims was allowed to move towards Kashmir for their onward journey to the Amarnath cave shrine as the highway, which had been damaged at several places due to incessant rainfall, was opened, they said.

Amarnath pilgrims usually leave Jammu between 3.45 am and 4.30 am every day. The suspension of the yatra had left around 15,000 pilgrims stranded in Jammu and at other places.

- PTI

Heavy to very heavy rainfall was recorded in isolated parts of Rajasthan and one rain-related fatality was reported in Pratapgarh district, officials said on July 11.

Shivganj in Sirohi district recorded the highest 13-centimetre downpour in a 24-hour period ending on Tuesday morning, they said.

Light to moderate rainfall occurred at most places in the eastern part of the state and at isolated places in the western part during the same period, the officials added.

According to the meteorological department, Abu Road in Sirohi recorded 11 cm downpour, Pratapgarh and Dholpur 9 cm each, Sangod (Kota), Paota and Chomu (both in Jaipur) and Sumerpur (Pali) recorded 8 cm each while the rainfall in many other areas was below 8 cm.

The weather office has predicted heavy rainfall in Baran, Bharatpur, Bundi, Dholpur, Jhalawar, Karauli, Kota and Sawai Madhopur districts on July 12.

In Pratapgarh, a 35-year-old man drowned in the Karmvachhni river on July 10 night.

A team of the SDRF recovered his body on July 11 morning from a spot nearly 200 metres away from where he drowned, SDRF Commandant Rajkumar Gupta said. — PTI

Four pilgrims from Madhya Pradesh died and seven more were injured when a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall buried three vehicles near the Gangnani bridge on the Gangotri National Highway here, officials said on July 11.

The incident took place on July 10 night when the vehicles came under debris due to the landslide from the hill near the bridge.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief over the incident and urged people to avoid unnecessary travel during heavy rains.

Three of the four bodies have been recovered and efforts are underway to pull out the fourth from the rubble, Bhatwadi Sub-Collector Chatar Singh Chauhan said.

Two of the seven people injured are in a serious condition, he said.

Mr. Chauhan said teams of police and the State Disaster Response Force reached the spot for relief and rescue operations as soon as the information came in. Local people and personnel of the Border Roads Organisation also joined the relief work. — PTI

Floods in Jummagad river in the border area of Chamoli district of Uttarakhand has washed away the bridge built on it, blocking the Indo-Tibet border road there while contact with over a dozen border villages has also been lost.

Flooding in Jummagad river flowing near Jumma village on the Joshimath-Niti highway, about 45 km from Joshimath, continued till late night on Monday evening, in which the bridge collapsed.

The Joshimath-Malari border road is now blocked and traffic connectivity to over a dozen border villages in the area has also stopped. Supply to border outposts by road has also come to a standstill.

The flood water was so high that it kept flowing over the Joshimath-Malari road, which stood several metres above the river. — PTI

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu would visit Kullu, Lahaul and spiti and Mandi during the day, and conduct an aerial survey of the affected areas. There were also reports of landslides in Shamti, in the suburbs of Solan, damaging two houses and an office.

The meteorological department has warned of the possibility of moderate to high flash floods in Shimla, Sirmaur and Kinnaur districts.

Heavy to very heavy rain lashed parts of Sirmaur, Shimla, Mandi and Kinnaur districts. Nahan received 250 mm rain, followed by Dhaulakuan (138.5 mm), Jubberhatti (90 mm), Kufri (67 mm), Narkanda (65 mm), Shimla (64 mm), Mashobra (60.5 mm), Kalpa (48 mm), Reckongpeo (42 mm), Mandi (46 mm) and Sundernagar (45 mm). — PTI

Principal Secretary, Revenue, Onkar Chand Sharma informed that since the onset of monsoon on June 24, the State has suffered a loss of ₹780 crore and the figure is expected to go up as excessive damage has been caused to roads, bridges and water supply schemes.

As many as 1,239 roads, including the Shimla-Kalka and Manali-Chandigarh national highways, are blocked due to heavy downpour over the last three days, according to the state emergency operation centre. Bus service is suspended on 1,416 routes of the Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation (HRTC) while 679 buses are held en route, transport officials said on July 11.

The supply of essential items was hit in several areas of the hill State, including Shimla and Manali, as the Chandigarh-Manali and Shimla-Kalka national highways were closed following landslides, caving in of roads and flooding.

Several areas in Kullu and Mandi remained without electricity as 2,577 transformers were disrupted while the water supply was also affected in several areas, including State capital Shimla, as 1,418 water supply schemes have suffered damage.

Manali town and the adjoining areas remained cut off for almost a day as roads were blocked due to landslides. Mobile connectivity has also been disrupted.

The rains have stopped since July 10 evening and the rescue operations and road restoration work have gained pace as the water level in the rivers has subsided, Kullu Deputy Commissioner Ashutosh Garg said. “We are hopeful that mobile networks would start working in Manali during the day,” he added.

Men and machinery have been deployed to restore road connectivity in Manali, Kasol and the Parvati valley and the Manali road would be cleared for light vehicles soon, Garg said, adding that relief camps have been set up in Kullu and Manali and those stranded are being taken care of. — PTI

A helicopter from the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been requisitioned to airlift the tourists stranded at Chandertal in Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh while a rescue team from Kaza has reached Kunzum Top and is just eight kilometres away from the lake, Principal Secretary, Revenue, Onkar Chand Sharma said on July 11.

Around 300 people, mostly tourists, are stuck in camps at Chandertal, located at an altitude of 14,100 feet, following rain and snowfall in the region.

“Two of them were facing breathing issues due to the high altitude and they would be airlifted,” Mr. Sharma said.

All the stranded people would be evacuated to safe places by July 11 night, he said, adding that about 100 people were rescued from different places in the hill State on July 11.

Two teams have been deputed for road restoration — one from the Losar side and the other from Kaza. The team comprises members of the administration, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), police and local villagers, the officials said. — PTI

In Punjab and Haryana, the rain ebbed on Tuesday after three days of incessant downpour, which left behind a trail of destruction in several parts of both States where properties worth crores were damaged and nine lives lost.

The governments in both States have stepped up efforts to provide relief to affected people even as they scramble to conduct rescue operations.

On Tuesday morning, the weather was clear at most places in the region which brought relief to the people, after the incessant downpour inundated homes and caused extensive damage to crops and vegetables in many districts.

Officials said relief shelters have been set up in the affected districts in the two states, including Rupnagar, Patiala, Mohali, Ambala and Panchkula.

- PTI

What could be driving this weird summer monsoon?

Excess rainfall over northwest India is consistent with the Arabian Sea having warmed by about 1.5 degrees Celsius since January. This was expected, according to a study last year that the author was part of.

June contributes only about 15% of the rainfall to the seasonal total. Monsoon rainfall distribution always tends to be patchy. The Indian subcontinent is like a popcorn kettle that gets heated up as the Sun crosses over into the northern hemisphere in March. Rainfall is like the kernels of corn popping randomly around the kettle.

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Delhi’s population has risen by 50 lakh since 2014, but planning was not done accordingly for sewer lines and drainage, which has caused waterlogging in the city, Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena said on Tuesday.

Taking stock of the rising water level of the Yamuna river at the Yamuna Bazar area , Saxena said preparations should have been made beforehand to deal with the unprecedented rains.

The LG also inspected the Pragati Maidan tunnel, Minto Bridge and the Zakhira underpass that were flooded and closed for traffic due to the heavy rains received by the city over the weekend.

- PTI

Four persons died and 10 people got injured due to falling debris on Gangotri National Highway near Gangnani in Uttarakhand, said the police on Tuesday.

“Four people have died due to falling debris. 10 passengers who were injured have been admitted to CSC Bhatwadi for treatment”, the police said. The rescue operation is underway, they added.

- ANI