Rain continued to wreak havoc in different parts of the country on Friday also. Many important highways were blocked due to landslides in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, while the administration had to shift people to safe places due to swollen rivers in the northeastern states. At least five people died in various rain-related incidents. However, after several days of continuous heavy rain in some parts of the country including Delhi-NCR and Rajasthan, the weather remained dry on Friday.
Due to heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh, life was affected in many areas. Traffic was disrupted, bridges were damaged and many trees were uprooted. Schools remained closed in many parts of the state.
In Kullu district, a 70-year-old man died after being hit by stones falling from a hill. Two people were injured when a rock fell on a vehicle in Arki area of Solan district. Officials said that incidents of rock fall have been reported between Kalka-Shimla National Highway, Waknaghat-Kandaghat and Dharampur-Chakki Mor. The Sangla bridge, built last year with the help of Border Roads Organization (BRO) and Indian Army in Kinnaur district, is also in danger of landslides.
Officials said that if there is further damage to the bridge, Sangla Valley may be cut off from other places. According to the local meteorological department, maximum rainfall was recorded in Sirmaur and Solan districts since Thursday evening.
Heavy rains in Uttarakhand during the last 24 hours led to several landslides and 118 roads in the state, including the Yamunotri National Highway, were closed. During this time, one teenager died, many people were injured and schools were kept closed at many places on Friday.
Officials said that vigilance has been increased after the Meteorological Department issued a warning of heavy rain. He said that about 100 meter stretch of Yamunotri National Highway near Syanachatti in Uttarkashi district has been damaged by landslide and repair work is going on at the spot.
Traffic was repeatedly disrupted due to continuous falling of stones from the hill near Nagun and Nalu Pani on Gangotri National Highway. Due to continuous rains, the water level of Ganga, Yamuna and their tributaries as well as many small rivers also increased.
Officials said that due to continuous rains for the last one week in Lunglei district of Mizoram, bordering Bangladesh, the Khawthlangtuipui river was in spate. After this, more than 80 families were evacuated to safe places. He said that landslides, rock falls and other rain-related incidents have occurred at more than 29 places in the state. However, till now there has been no report of any casualty or loss of life or property.
According to officials, National Highway-54 is closed due to landslide on the outskirts of Bualte village in Lunglei district. Many tourists are stranded there for the last four days. He said that due to this landslide, the southern districts of the state, Longtalai and Siaha, have also been cut off from other parts of the state.
The Aizawl-Thenzawl-Lunglei highway was also blocked due to massive rockfall and landslides at Ngaijel on the southern outskirts of Aizawl, officials said. An official said that due to torrential rains for the last few days, many parts of Tripura have been flooded. More than 4,000 houses have been damaged due to this and about 11,000 people have had to take shelter in relief camps. However, no casualties have been reported so far.
Uttar Pradesh also witnessed heavy rains in many parts of the state, while two people died in separate rain-related incidents. Mawana in Meerut district recorded the highest rainfall of 315 mm in the state during the 24 hours ending 8.30 am on Friday. After this, 270.1 mm rainfall was recorded in Jansath in Muzaffarnagar district.
According to IMD, due to the cyclonic circulation over central parts of Uttar Pradesh and the low pressure area over northwest Madhya Pradesh, the southwest monsoon has become active in the state. IMD’s Lucknow-based Regional Meteorological Center has issued an orange alert for the state, indicating the possibility of heavy rainfall at many places till today.
In Noida, a 28-year-old youth allegedly died after falling into a roadside drain filled with rain water while going to work in Sector-58. In Muzaffarnagar district, a 60-year-old woman died and her husband was injured when a kutcha house collapsed during heavy rains. Officials said that a 21-year-old farmer working in a paddy field in Balrampur district died due to lightning.
After two consecutive days of rain in Delhi, the sky remained clear on Friday. Weather experts said that the weather in the city is likely to remain dry and relatively warm for the next few days and the monsoon is expected to become active again later. Rajasthan Meteorological Department also predicted that the monsoon will weaken in the state from Friday, which will bring an end to the ongoing heavy rains.
According to the department, weak monsoon conditions are likely to form in the state from July 10-11, which may last for about a week. During this period, the weather will be generally dry in most parts of Rajasthan and there is a possibility of light rain at only a few places.
Large parts of West Bengal also received heavy rain on Friday. Cooch Behar, located in the northern part of the state, recorded the highest rainfall of 143 mm in the last 24 hours till Friday morning. Due to continuous rain, people going to school and office in Kolkata had to face a lot of trouble. Waterlogging and slow traffic was witnessed in many parts of the city, especially the Sector-5 IT hub of Salt Lake.
According to the Meteorological Department, the highest rainfall of 96 mm was recorded in South Bengal in the Dumdum area of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport.
In Arunachal Pradesh, fresh floods and landslides in West Kameng, Upper Subansiri and Tirap districts in the last 24 hours caused damage to houses, roads and crops. The death toll in flood-related incidents in the state has increased to seven. This number increased after the body of a missing woman was recovered in Papum Pare district.
Disaster management officials in Assam appealed to the people to exercise caution after the IMD predicted widespread rainfall in most parts of the state including Guwahati for the next few days from Friday. He said that this could increase the risk of waterlogging, flash floods, slow traffic speed and local landslides in sensitive areas.
IMD said in its bulletin issued on Friday that between July 10 and 16, there is a possibility of widespread rainfall at many places in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura. At the same time, rainfall activities are expected to remain weak in Central India and Southern Peninsular India during the next six to seven days.
It rained in many parts of Haryana and Punjab on Friday, due to which the day temperature remained below normal at most places. Light rain was also recorded in Chandigarh. Officials said that rail services on the Mumbai-Pune rail route will remain affected till July 17. Central Railway has canceled 30 long distance and inter-city trains due to landslides in Bhor Ghat section.
He said that due to torrential rains on July 6, landslides had occurred at many places between Karjat and Lonavala stations. Officials said that one more body was recovered from the Wayanad landslide site in Kerala, after which the death toll in this disaster increased to seven.
Leave a Reply