The twin hilly states of Himachal and Uttarakhand were hit by heavy landslides, with 115 roads rendered inaccessible in Himachal, and 88 rural motorable roads, two border roads, one state highway and the national highway leading to Badrinath temple blocked in Uttarakhand
The Indian Meteorological Department has issued warnings for heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in the north and northeast states for the next three days. IMD on Friday reported that Rajasthan is expected to experience heavy rainfall this week, while heavy downpours in Uttarakhand have rendered its national highway inaccessible.
Uttarakhand, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Gujarat region have received warnings for heavy rainfall until July 7. Here is a state-wise breakdown of rain-related incidents and warnings:
Assam
The state disaster management authority said that the recent floods on Thursday claimed six more lives raising the death toll to 52 in the state.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited the flood-affected area in Dibrugarh claiming that the flood situation is expected to be better soon as the water levels are declining. Sarma added, “However, areas where embankments have been breached continue to be impacted by the floods.”
Guwahati reported massive waterlogging, with the Brahmaputra river water level flowing at danger level following incessant rains. A child has been missing from the Jyoti Nagar area of the city since Thursday evening after he reportedly fell into an open drain, PTI reported.
Amid raging floods, a medical team led by the assistant block project manager of Sandahkaity successfully treated a woman who had gone into labour to give birth to a girl child while being ferried to the nearest medical centre, PTI reported. Jahanara Begum, accompanied by her husband, was in full term of her pregnancy when she was travelling to Jhargaon PHC in Morigaon district in a boat.
Inside the famed Kaziranga National Park, 77 wild animals have died, either due to drowning or during treatment, while 94 others have been rescued from floodwaters. The dead animals comprise three rhinos, 62 hog deer, and an otter due to drowning in the park, with 11 dying during treatment. Forest officials rescued 85 hog deer, two sambar, two scops owls, and one each of a rhino calf, Indian hare, otter, elephant, and a jungle cat.
Himachal
The torrential rains have led to traffic disruptions and road closures in Himachal Pradesh, where connectivity for 115 roads, including 107 in Mandi, has been disrupted. The sub-Himalayan districts have been receiving heavy rain for the last few days.
IMD has issued alerts for heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across the state till the end of this week. A sharp surge in prices for tomatoes and other daily commodities was observed due to the volatile weather. The Consumer Affairs Ministry said that the retail price of tomatoes has risen to Rs 55 kg, with the prices expected to further rise.
Uttarakhand
A five-year-old drowned in a rainwater-filled pit in Dehradun, while a similar mishap took place in Haridwar claiming a teen’s life. The police is yet to find the teen boy’s body. The heavy downpour has led to life-threatening situations across the state with landslides disrupting connectivity, including the National Highway leading to Badrinath, PTI reported.
The State Emergency Operation Centre said landslides had blocked 88 rural motorable roads, two border roads, one state highway and the national highway leading to the Badrinath temple. The Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway was blocked at Lambagad — an area highly vulnerable to landslides, it added.
In Rudraprayag district, an old tunnel was blocked by the debris of a recent landslide. Superintendent of Police Vishakha Ashok Bhadane confirmed that no casualties were reported.
Meghalaya
Meghalaya received 44 per cent excess rains in the last one month, causing large-scale damage to public infrastructure and upending the lives of people. The state received 117.32 cm of rain between June 1 and July 3, which is 44 per cent more than normal, a senior disaster management official said.
The southern districts of the state are the worst affected, while rains have damaged infrastructure, triggered landslides and flash floods, all over the state.
Rajasthan
The MeT department reported that Rajasthan continues to experience heavy rainfall as Malpura in Tonk district recorded 176 mm rain in the last 24 hours.
The weather department said that the monsoon trough line — low atmospheric pressure — passing through Bikaner and Sikar has formed a circulation system over southwestern Uttar Pradesh and eastern Rajasthan which led to heavy rains.
Jaipur, Ajmer, Kota, Bharatpur and Udaipur divisions are expected to receive heavy rainfall while showers are likely across eastern Rajasthan. Heavy rain is expected in Tonk and adjoining districts till July 9, the weather department said.
West Bengal
The Met Department issued a warning for heavy to very heavy rain in the sub-Himalayan districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Coochbehar till July 9.
The special bulletin issued by the weather office released an advisory for Darjeeling and Kalimpong, stating that the regions might experience landslides and waterlogging of low-lying areas in the plains. Water levels of rivers such as Teesta, Jaldhaka, Sankosh and Torsa may rise owing to the heavy rain, it added.