Rain Updates: Flood and rain havoc in eight states, 44 deaths in 24 hours, 39 NDRF teams deployed

Torrential rains and floods have caused massive devastation in seven states of North India and the Union Territory of Delhi. All major rivers are in spate in Himachal, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi. Mountains are crumbling and roads are being washed away. In the last 24 hours on Monday, more than 44 people have died in different states. 20 people have died in Himachal. On the other hand, eight deaths occurred in Uttar Pradesh in rain-related incidents.

More than 900 roads including National Highways and State Highways are closed in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal, and Uttarakhand. Thousands of people are stranded on the roads. In Delhi too, the Yamuna crossed the danger mark on Monday. Low-lying areas are being evacuated. PM Narendra Modi took stock of the situation in a meeting with senior ministers and officials. He directed to take all necessary measures to help the affected. The Prime Minister assured all possible help after talking to Himachal CM Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department has predicted some respite from the spell of heavy rains in Himachal from Tuesday.

39 teams of NDRF have been deployed in the affected states. There are 14 teams in Punjab, 12 in Himachal, 8 in Uttarakhand, and 5 in Haryana. At the same time, in Rajasthan, 14 districts including Sirohi, Ajmer, Pali, and Karauli received heavy rainfall in the last 24 hours, with Mount Abu receiving the highest rainfall of 231 mm.

4,000 crore loss in Himachal so far

Himachal has wreaked havoc due to heavy rains for three consecutive days. So far 59 people have died and the loss is estimated at Rs 4,000 crore. Thousands of people are stranded in Kullu-Manali, Mandi, and upper areas of the state. Electricity, phone, and internet services have also come to a standstill in most of the districts. 100 bighas of land turned into a ravine due to a cloudburst in Kullu. Several vehicles were washed away in Manali. Beas river is in spate in Mandi. 113 houses were evacuated. Seven National Highways and more than 828 roads are still closed. Train and air services have come to a standstill. 403 buses are stuck at various places. Monday-Tuesday has been declared a holiday for the Himachal High Court. The leaves of doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff have been canceled. The holy journey to Shrikhand Mahadev has also been postponed.

50 villages were evacuated in Punjab, army deployed

Due to the flood situation in Punjab, 50 villages in five districts have been evacuated. People have been kept in Gurdwaras. Sutlej River water has entered Phillaur Police Academy in Jalandhar. Chandigarh received 450 mm of rain in three days. Army has been deployed in Mohali and Patiala. Many students were trapped due to water logging in the college of Fatehgarh Sahib, who have been rescued safely. NDRF teams are engaged in relief work. 17 trains were canceled. Delhi-Chandigarh National Highway 1 has been closed.

Flood threat in the capital Delhi

Yamuna water crossed the danger mark of 205.88 meters in the national capital. People are being evacuated from the areas along the banks of the Yamuna. The water level is likely to cross 206.65 meters by Tuesday. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has instructed the officials to take necessary measures. Delhi's primary schools will remain closed on Tuesday given the heavy rains. Apart from this, all the schools of MCD will also remain closed.

More than 100 roads including Badrinath Highway closed in Uttarakhand

Due to rain and landslides, more than 100 roads including Badrinath National Highway are closed. All major rivers are in spate. Ganga is flowing near the danger mark in Haridwar.

Devastation due to record rains in Haryana

For the third consecutive day, the rains caused maximum devastation in the GT belt districts of Haryana. Rainwater flooded more than 600 villages in six districts. Nine people died in different accidents due to rain. Ambala district has been most affected by the rains and floods. Due to 451 mm of rain in three days, 40 percent of the city was submerged. Army's help was also taken in evacuating people after waterlogging in Ambala city.

3,640 in Lahaul-Spiti in a day and 10,000 percent more rain in Ladakh

The entire Himachal Pradesh received 1,193 percent excess rainfall on July 9, but Lahaul-Spiti is the most worrying region. It has received 3,640 percent more rainfall than the average during the last two days. On the other hand, the cold desert of Ladakh also received heavy rains on 8 and 9 July, confirming the prediction of extreme rainfall as a result of global warming and raising new fears. This was more than 10,000 percent of the normal rainfall. The event was part of a spate of extreme rainfall events over the entire north and northwest India due to a Western Disturbance and a rare interaction with the Monsoon system currently in active mode over the country.

Experts were surprised even after snow fell for the first time in July

Experts are also surprised by the snowfall for the first time in July in Losar village of Lahaul Spiti, which is included in the three cold deserts of the country. On July 9, 2023, Lahaul Spiti district received 112.2 mm of rain, whereas if we talk about normal rainfall, only 3 mm of rain should have been received on this day i.e. 3,640 percent more rain was recorded in one day. Normally this district receives 131.5 mm of rainfall in July. This means that on July 9, it rained equal to a month. Earlier in 1951, Lahaul-Spiti recorded 73 mm of rain in 24 hours.

The irregularity of rainfall in the Lahaul-Spiti district can be gauged from the fact that till July 5, the district had received 74 percent less rainfall than normal. But during the last seven days, it has received 683 percent more rainfall than normal. The district normally receives 394.7 mm of rainfall during the monsoon, but in just one day (9 July 2023) it received one-third of the rainfall of the entire monsoon season.

This situation is disastrous for Ladakh

It rained in Ladakh for almost 24 hours and old houses are now leaking. The situation is even worse in rural areas. According to the local people, small landslides are also happening around Leh City. These heavy rains are devastating for the sensitive landscape of Ladakh. According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh was deficient in rainfall by 21 percent on July 8. There was a shortfall of 77 percent in the Kargil district and 8 percent in the Leh district. Being a cold desert, the region receives so little rainfall that the percentage of deficiency can change very rapidly.

Broken record of 74 years of rain

According to the residents of Spiti Valley, for the first time in their lives, they have seen so much rain continuously in the last three days. There is very little rain in Spiti Valley, but this time it has rained so much that many people's houses have also been filled with water. According to the Meteorological Center Shimla, the rains for the last three days have destroyed many old records in Himachal Pradesh. Snowfall these days is an unusual phenomenon in Lahaul Spiti district. The record of rainfall for the last 74 years has been broken in Lahaul Spiti district.

Heavy rains become a problem: This area is very sensitive to excess rainfall. Situated at an average altitude of 4,270 meters above sea level, the district receives snowfall for about four months in winter. Because of the snow, the vegetation in the district, especially in the Spiti region, is negligible and the entire region is known as the Cold Desert.

Also Read: Monsoon Update: It will rain heavily for four days in these states including UP, Delhi, and Bihar, read the condition of your state