Record rain in 40 years paralyses Delhi, monsoon fury in North India, 15 deaths

July 9, 2023 2:54 pm

New Delhi : Several parts of northwest India witnessed a heavy spell of rain on Saturday and Sunday, with Delhi breaking a 40-year-old record. Delhi recorded 153 mm of rain in 24 hours ending at 8:30 am on Sunday, the highest in a single day in July since 1982, the India Meteorological Department said.

At least 15 people have been killed in landslides in hill states as heavy rains and strong winds pounded several parts of north India, news agency PTI reported.

Northwest India has seen incessant rainfall over the last two days, with many areas in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab recording “heavy to very heavy” precipitation.

An interaction between a western disturbance and monsoonal winds is leading to an intense rainfall spell over northwest India, including Delhi which experienced the season’s first “very heavy” rainfall.

Data from the India Meteorological Department show that bountiful rains in many parts of India in the first eight days of July have bridged the rainfall deficit for the entire country. The cumulative rainfall in the monsoon season has reached 243.2 mm, which is 2 per cent above the normal of 239.1 mm, the data stated.

DELHI

The city logged 133.4 mm of rain on July 10, 2003, and an all-time high of 266.2 mm on July 21, 1958.

The Met Office has issued a yellow alert, warning of moderate rain which could cause more problems to the residents of Delhi.

The heavy rain submerged parks, underpasses, markets and even hospital premises, and caused chaos on the roads.

Pictures and videos of commuters wading through knee-deep water flooded social media platforms, raising concerns about the efficiency of the city’s drainage infrastructure.

YAMUNA WATER LEVEL LIKELY TO BREACH DANGER MARK

The water level in the Yamuna river in Delhi is rising and is expected to breach the danger mark of 205.33 metres on Tuesday, the Central Water Commission (CWC) has said.

Gurugram also faced waterlogging and traffic jams in several areas. The weather department had already issued a yellow alert for the city, warning of moderate to heavy rainfall.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

At least five people have lost their lives in different rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh in the last 24 hours — three in Shimla, one in Chamba and one in Kullu.

River Beas in the state is flowing above the danger mark. Several units of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in Kangra, Mandi, and Shimla.

Himachal Pradesh’s Manali is experiencing relentless rainfall, causing widespread destruction. The meteorological department has issued a “red” alert for seven districts in Himachal Pradesh, warning that extremely heavy rainfall is likely to continue on Sunday.Six under construction houses were damaged in a landslide following rains in the Kasauli area of Solan district on Saturday morning, but no casualty was reported. The district administration has shifted the labourers to safe places.

Landslides and flash floods blocked several roads in Shimla, Sirmaur, Lahaul and Spiti, Chamba and Solan districts.

Due to heavy rains, the movement of vehicles from Kullu and Manali towards Atal Tunnel and Rohtang has been completely stopped due to falling of stones at many places on the Kullu-Manali road and due to the increase in water level in Beas river near Ramshila.

JAMMU AND KASHMIR

The water level in the Jhelum river and its tributaries rose rapidly over a few hours due to heavy rainfall at many places in Kashmir, even as authorities advised the people living near the embankments of water bodies to remain alert and avoid venturing near the water.

The water in some of the water bodies was flowing close to the flood-alert level at many places, officials said.

Heavy to very heavy rain continued in many parts of Kashmir for the second day on Saturday. Some places witnessed a record rainfall over a 24-hour period in the month of July.

A few areas in the higher reaches, including near the Amarnath cave shrine, experienced snowfall.

The annual Amarnath Yatra was suspended for the second consecutive day on Saturday following incessant rains and landslides, leaving thousands of pilgrims stranded in Jammu and at various places en route to the cave shrine.

The administration in several districts has issued advisories to people, asking them to remain cautious, and set up control rooms for any eventuality.

PUNJAB, HARYANA

Heavy rains lashed several parts of Haryana and Punjab as the mercury dropped below normal limits in the two states, the weather office said.

Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, witnessed rain throughout the day, with the maximum temperature settling at 26.5 degrees Celsius, according to the Met Department.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has asked asked all the Cabinet Ministers, MLAs and the officers to stay in their respective areas and reach out to the needy people in this hour of grave crisis.

In Haryana, Yamunanagar received 80 mm rain, followed by Ambala (70 mm), Sirsa (50 mm), Karnal (40 mm), Kurukshetra (30.5 mm), Mahendragarh (24 mm) and Rohtak (12 mm).

In Punjab, Amritsar received 20 mm rainfall, Ludhiana 34 mm, Patiala 10 mm, Pathankot 46 mm, Ferozepur 108 mm, Gurdaspur 38.5 mm and Rupnagar 39.5 mm.

The Met office has predicted light to moderate rain at most places in the two states on Sunday.

RAJASTHAN

Heavy to very heavy rain lashed several districts of Rajasthan, leading to four deaths in separate incidents in the last 24 hours.

A man and a woman died due to lightning in Chittorgarh while two men got drowned in two separate incidents in Sawai Madhopur, the police said on Saturday.

According to weather data from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm on Saturday, Eranpura Road in Pali recorded the highest rainfall at 94 mm, followed by 79.5 mm in Jaisalmer, 73.6 mm in Alwar and 46.8 mm in Jodhpur’s Phalodi, and several areas receiving rainfall below 46 mm.

The Met department has predicted very heavy rainfall in Rajsamand, Jalore and Pali districts on Sunday.

Heavy rainfall has been forecast for Ajmer, Alwar, Banswara, Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Bundi, Chittorgarh, Dausa, Dhaulpur, Dungarpur, Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, Karauli, Kota, Pratapgarh, Sawai Madhopur, Sikar, Sirohi, Tonk, Udaipur, Barmer, Jodhpur and Nagaur districts.