Heavy Rainfall Continues In North Indian States: Himachal Worst-Hit, 19 Fatalities Reported

Over the past three days, heavy rainfall has wreaked havoc in several parts of north India, resulting in at least 19 fatalities and leaving the region grappling with the disastrous aftermath. Numerous roads and buildings remain submerged in knee-deep water, as cities and towns struggle to cope with the deluge.

The meteorological department has issued predictions of further downpours in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Delhi, and the surrounding areas in the coming days.

Social media platforms have been inundated with alarming images depicting the widespread chaos caused by the incessant rain. Vehicles floating like paper boats, muddy waters inundating residential areas, structures submerged along river banks, and land cave-ins have painted a grim picture of the situation in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Delhi.

In Himachal Pradesh, landslides and flash floods triggered by the relentless rain have resulted in significant damage to houses and infrastructure, severely disrupting normal life. Flash floods in Manali, Kullu, Kinnaur, and Chamba have swept away shops and vehicles, while major rivers such as Ravi, Beas, Satluj, Swan, and Chenab continue to surge dangerously. Uttarakhand has also witnessed landslides and flash floods, with water levels in rivers and streams surpassing the danger mark, reported NDTV.

In response to the waterlogging caused by heavy rain, all schools in Gurgaon and Delhi have been ordered to remain closed today. The Gurgaon administration has advised corporate houses to facilitate working from home to prevent traffic congestion.

To monitor flood-prone areas, the Delhi government has established 16 control rooms. This comes after Haryana released over one lakh cusecs of water from the Hathnikund barrage into the Yamuna River.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will chair a high-level meeting to address the issue ofrlogging in the city and the rising water levels of the Yamuna River.

A red alert has been issued for the Kathua and Samba districts of Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, the Amarnath Yatra, which had been suspended for three days, resumed on Sunday from the Panjtarni and Sheshnag base camps.

Continuous and heavy rainfall has led to extensive waterlogging in several parts of Rajasthan's Ajmer, the officials said on Monday.

"Severe waterlogging witnessed in various parts of Ajmer, following heavy rainfall in the region," they said.

Heavy rainfall on Sunday morning also led to extensive waterlogging in Rajasthan's Sikar, disrupting normal life.

Flooding in Punjab, Ghaggar River Crosses Danger Mark

Punjab experienced relentless rainfall, causing significant concerns as the Ghaggar river surged 2.5 feet above the danger mark. The overflowing water has prompted authorities to take action, with the National Disaster Response Force being deployed to Tiwana village in Mohali. Chief Engineer of Irrigation, H.S. Mehndiratta, stated that the water level reached 12.5 feet, surpassing the 10-foot danger mark, necessitating a close monitoring of the situation as the water flows downstream toward Patiala and Sangrur.

Preventive evacuation orders have been issued in areas adjacent to Badi Nadi in Patiala, as the Ghaggar river passes through Samana, Devigarh, Sanaur, and Ghanaur towns within the district. Reports indicate that the water has entered fields and caused extensive inundation in Dera Bassi, as per a report in Tribune India.

In Kharar, heavy downpours have damaged

several houses, while in the Mandot area of Ferozepur, the fencing on the International Border has also been impacted.

Given the Indian Meteorological Department's warning of heavy rainfall in Patiala, Sangrur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Ludhiana, Mansa, and Muktsar for today, the government remains on high alert.

Officials from the Irrigation department have reported no untoward incidents thus far. However, several low-lying areas in these cities are already submerged. Only a few minor breaches in water channels have been reported in Ferozepur.

Authorities are also closely monitoring the water flow in the Satluj river. Currently, the downstream water flow is recorded at 100,000 cusecs, significantly higher than the normal flow of 12,000 cusecs. As a result, low-lying areas in villages along the river and its tributaries in Ropar and Anandpur Sahib, such as Kahanpur Khoohi, have experienced flooding.

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