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Incessant rain over the weekend brought northern India to its knees, with gushing rivers, landslides in the mountains, waterlogging of the plains and 12 deaths in rain-related accidents.
In Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand, at least two people died after parts of two houses collapsed, while a jeep carrying 11 Kedarnath pilgrims plunged into River Ganga in Muni ki Reti district of Tehri Garhwal district around 3 am. Three of the passengers died and five were injured. State Disaster Response Force teams are conducting a search for the other three missing persons.
Five people were killed in Himachal Pradesh A family lost three members when debris fell on their house in Panivali village, Kotgarh while landslides claimed the lives of a woman in Lankadbir village, Kullu and an individual in Kakayan, Chamba.
in Jammu and KashmirThe bodies of two drowned soldiers were recovered from Punch.
The Indian Meteorological Department attributed the heavy rains to the interaction of westerly disturbance and monsoons. Mr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General, IMD said, “This is happening because of the large-scale systems. We had a good monsoon circulation, and at the same time there was a westerly disturbance passing over the area. Therefore, we had strong westerly winds, along with a moist easterly wind from Bay of Bengal, resulting in the convergence of these two types of winds over northwest India.”
Mohapatra said the maximum rainfall intensity was seen on Sunday over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and on Saturday in Jammu and Kashmir. “The systems are moving slowly, which is why we saw heavy rains in parts of northwest India on Sunday. On Monday, that activity is likely to decrease.
On the bouts of record-breaking heavy rains in some parts, Mohapatra said the phenomenon is not unusual as heavy and very heavy rains can be expected in monsoons.
Schools will remain closed in Delhi, Gurgaon and Faridabad on MondayWhile Himachal Pradesh announced that all schools and colleges will remain closed for the next two days in light of the damage caused by the rains on roads and highways.
Rains broke records in both Delhi and Chandigarh, with waterlogging across the two cities. With 153mm from 8.30am on Saturday to 8.30am on Sunday, Delhi saw a 41-year record break – this is the highest rainfall in a single day since July 25, 1982, when the city received 169.9mm of rain in 24 hours.
Chandigarh recorded 302.2 mm of rain as of 8.30 am on Sunday, the highest level ever for the city. “The Chandigarh Observatory was established in 2009 and prior to that, the figures were taken from the Chandigarh Air Force Observatory itself. Even the Air Force Observatory has seen a maximum crack rise of 286.0 mm but not as much as the current numbers,” a senior official of the MET department said.
Roads across Chandigarh have been flooded and, for the first time, the two flood gates of Sukhna Lake have been opened up to 7 inches, said the department’s chief engineer in Chandigarh.
#He watches | The Beas River flows heavily in Mandi in Himachal Pradesh as the state continues to receive heavy rainfall. pic.twitter.com/Pxe0BBPqw3
– Ani (ANI) July 9, 2023
CB Ojha, UT’s chief engineer told The Indian Express, “We usually open each of our flood gates up to 2-3 inches.”
In Himachal Pradesh, property worth 1 crore was destroyed as 35 hours of torrential rain triggered floods, landslides and washed away roads and bridges. Heavy rains closed more than 800 roads, including six national highways, across the state.
The Aut Bridge, an iconic 50-year-old structure connecting Kullu, Banjar, Luhri and Rampur, has been washed away by the fast current of the Beas River in Mandi district. The Large Hydroelectric Project, located along the Beas River, was adversely affected by flood waters, which led to water entering the power plant. As a precaution, the project’s power supply was temporarily disconnected, resulting in a power outage.
#He watches | A bridge connecting Aut-Banjar with the flowing Beas River has drifted furiously in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh.
(Video confirmed by police) pic.twitter.com/q9S8WSu96Z
– Ani (ANI) July 9, 2023
According to the state’s Emergency Operations Center, the past 36 hours witnessed 13 landslides and nine flash floods in the state. Mandi, Kullu, Lahaul and Spiti districts have been severely affected by the torrential rains, which has caused severe damage to both private and government properties.
In response to heavy rains overnight, the Bandoh Dam authorities opened the flood gates to release the excess water. As a result, the water level of the Beas River has risen significantly, exceeding the danger mark.
#He watches | Chapa Power House in Shimla is flooded after heavy rains pic.twitter.com/cIp46vJXPf
– Ani (ANI) July 9, 2023
The Mandi District Disaster Management Authority, headed by Chief and District Magistrate Arindam Chaudhary, held a meeting with officials on Sunday to review the situation.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the bodies of two soldiers who drowned in Poonch have been recovered. The national highway between Srinagar and Jammu remained closed for the second day in a row.
The two soldiers drowned in a swollen creek in Surankot. The army has identified one of the soldiers as N.K. Subedar Kuldeep Singh from Taran Taran, Punjab. He was sent with 16 Rashtriya guns. The military said the identity of the other soldier would be revealed soon.
The National Highway between Srinagar and Jammu remained closed for the second consecutive day after a landslide washed away the road near the newly constructed Panthial Tunnel.
The Met also issued a “red alert” for Kathua, Samba and “other low-lying catchment areas in the Jammu region due to the risk of flooding… (increased) significantly”. In Pampore, in southern Kashmir, the Jhelum River was flowing just above the danger mark.
In Uttarakhand, a high alert has been issued following the incidents of landslides and road closures due to heavy rains in the past 24 hours. According to the bulletin issued by the Meteorological Department for the next five days, warnings and alerts have been issued for all regions until July 13.
In a tweet, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dami asked everyone to remain vigilant and avoid unnecessary traffic as it was raining in the state for a few days. “Since it is a hill condition, whenever the weather gets bad here, there are cases of landslides, road blockages, flooding of rivers and drains due to heavy rains. This is why all the management and disaster management directors are on high alert. Tourists are also requested to plan their trips according to the weather updates. The Kanwar Yatra is also going on and there is waterlogging of parking spaces and traffic.We are still monitoring all these places and ensuring they are clean,” Dhami told the media, adding that all concerned officials have been instructed to keep their phones on.
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