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10 die, infrastructure caves in as heavy rain batters north India
Heavy rains in North India have caused widespread damage and left at least ten people dead. Hill states Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir have been worst affected, with homes and shops submerged and roads closed. The India Meteorological Department has issued red alerts for heavy rainfall in several districts, and the flooding has prompted the authorities to open the floodgates of Pandoh Dam. The Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage has been suspended, and there have been reports of landslides and deaths in Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir as well.
NEW DELHI/Shimla/Dehradun/Srinagar Heavy rains lashed large swathes of North India on Sunday, leaving at least ten people dead , with rivers in spate, urban infrastructure buckling under the weight of the incessant downpour, and widespread damage to property. The worst damage came from the hill states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir, with homes and shops, even a section of the National Highway 3 to Manali being submerged in angry rivers, with the administration sounding warning for people to stay off the roads and take shelter.
There were five deaths in Himachal Pradesh alone in rain related incidents with three people of a family killed after their home collapsed due to a landslide in Panevali village of Kotgarh. Another landslide in Kakiyan in Chamba buried one person who was later found dead, and the body of a woman was also recovered from the debris of a landslide in Kullu’s Lankabekar village. Officials said that over 250 roads in the state had been shut, and most rivers and streams were flowing above the danger mark. The most dramatic visuals came from the tourist destinations of Kullu and Manali where shops, standing cars, and even a segment of the national highway fell into the swirling waters of the river Beas. In Lahaul-Spiti, 30 college students who were stranded between Granphu and Chhota Darra after a flash flood on Samdo Kaza-Granphu road were rescued in an overnight operation.
The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in five districts of Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Hamirpur Bilaspur , Una, Shimla , Solan, Kullu and Sirmaur. It has also issued a flash flood warning for Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Sirmaur, Shimla and Mandi for Monday. The flooding has prompted the authorities to open the floodgates of Pandoh Dam, and people living in areas downstream have been advised to stay away from the river.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that there are reports of extensive damage in several parts. “People are advised to avoid travelling until very necessary. Authorities have been directed to stay alert and provide every possible help to the affected people,” he tweeted. A total of 45 people have been killed in the state since the onset of the monsoon last month.
In neighbouring Uttarakhand, an elderly couple was killed in Kashipur after their home collapsed amid heavy rains, and at least three pilgrims have drowned in the Ganga after their jeep fell into the river amid a landslide near Gular on the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway. State Disaster Response Force officials said there were 11 people in the jeep and while five have been rescued and three bodies recovered, a search is on for three more people.
IMD Dehradun Centre has issued a red alert for heavy rainfall in various parts of the state for the next two days. Officials said that the swollen Gaula river is eroding land near the Haldwani railway station, prompting railway authorities and district administration to use JCB machines and sandbags in the riverbed to change the flow of the river away from the track.
In Jammu and Kashmir the rains forced the suspension of the Amarnath Yatra for the second consecutive day, with rains also predicted for the next 24 hours. The tourist resort of Pahalgam which serves as the basecamp for the Amarnath Yatra recorded an all time July high rainfall of 73.3 mm, with the previous best 60.44 mm in July 1983.
Two people were killed in Jammu and Kashmir after a landslide hit a passenger bus in Doda while in Kupwara’d Jagerpora village, three minor girls were washed away by the waters of Phoru river. Two girls were rescued by local villagers but one is still missing and efforts are on to trace her. In Kulgam, the Mirbazar police received distress calls from people in Zadoora, Bumthan and Peerfurrah that live on the banks of the Vaishnav and Sandran rivulets, pleading that families residing in temporary tents needed evacuation. “Police teams along with civil administration, UTDRF, under the close supervision of SSP Kulgam were constituted to rescue the families. With strenuous efforts of the joint teams, all the family members were evacuated and have been shifted to the safer places,” police spokesman said.
In Haryana, there was widespread water logging in the low lying areas of Panipat, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Yamunanagar, Kaithal and Ambala affecting residential areas, markets and key roads. The flow of the Yamuna breached the danger mark of 70000 cusecs at the Hathini Kund barrage at 12 pm, flowing at 84000 cusecs. In rural areas, there was devastation too, with waters of the Markanda river for instance entering the villages of Tangor, Jharoli Khurd, Kathwa and Jhansa in Kurukshetra district.
