Landslides, flashfloods & waterlogging wreak havoc: Key points

NEW DELHI: Over a dozen deaths have been reported across north India in the past 24 hours as heavy rains continued to lash several states for the second consecutive day on Sunday.
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Besides traffic snarls and train delays, reports are flooding in of landslides, flashfloods and severe waterlogging affecting tens of thousands of people.
An interaction between a western disturbance and monsoonal winds is leading to an intense rainfall spell over northwest India, including Delhi which experienced the highest amount of rainfall in a single day in July since 1982.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued red alerts for several states on Sunday and has predicted heavy rain to lash north India over the next 1-2 days.
Here are the top developments through the day:
5 killed in Himachal; landslides, flashfloods plague state
Heavy rains pounded Himachal Pradesh, triggering landslides, damaging houses and leaving five people dead, officials said on Sunday.
Three members of a family were killed in a house collapse following

landslide

due to rains in Kotgarh area of Shimla district.
A landslide also damaged a makeshift house near Kullu town, leaving a woman dead.

In another incident, a person was buried alive following a landslide in Katiyan tehsil of Chamba on Saturday night.
Thirteen landslides and nine flash floods have been reported in the state in the past 36 hours, according to the state emergency operation centre.
As many as 736 roads have been closed for traffic while 1,743 transformers and 138 water supply schemes were affected on Sunday morning.
Red alert for Himachal
The Himachal MeT office has issued a red alert of extremely heavy rains (above 204 mm) in seven districts of the state on July 8 and 9. It has also cautioned of high flash flood risk over a few watersheds in Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Shimla, Sirmaur and Mandi districts.
National Highway 21 is blocked at 6 mile (name of the place). This is the same place where the commuters were struck for almost 24 hours on June 27 last due to a landslide. Mandi-Kullu road via Kamand was also blocked near Ghoda farm. The Manali-Chandigarh also caved in near Manali.
Reports of shops being swept away in Manali, vehicles being washed away in flash floods at Nullah in Kullu, Kinnaur and Chamba and loss to agricultural land have also poured in. Several roads have also been closed in Shimla districts.
All the major rivers, including Ravi, Beas, Satluj, Chenab, are in spate and tourists and commuters have been asked to avoid travelling during heavy rains and not to venture out near river bodies.
2 killed in landslide in J-K
Two persons were killed after a landslide hit a passenger bus in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, a senior police officer said.

The bus came under the landslide triggered by rains at village Bhangroo on Thathri-Gandoh road, said Superintendent of Police (Bhaderwah) Vinod Sharma.
He said a rescue operation was launched and three trapped passengers were evacuated to Gandoh hospital where Amir Sohail of Kahara and Mudassar Ali of Changa-Bhalessa were declared brought dead. Shahid Hussain of Kuntwara village has been admitted to a hospital.
Uttarakhand on red alert, several roads blocked due to landslide
The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for Uttarakhand on Sunday. Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that all state officials have been asked to remain alert in view of a heavy rainfall alert for the state.
“All pilgrims should proceed on their yatra keeping the weather conditions in mind,” the CM said.

As an intense spell of monsoon rain continued over the northwestern Himalayan region on Sunday morning, numerous roads were blocked and several people were stuck due to landslides. Badrinath National Highway was closed due to a landslide near Chhinka and NH-9 was closed in the Kumaon division at Champawat.
Due to continuous heavy rains, the water level of the Bhagirathi River has increased in Uttarkashi. In Joshiada, part of the wall got damaged due to river erosion.
Meanwhile, waterlogging was seen across Haridwar town, which is currently seeing a heavy rush of kanwariyas coming to fetch Ganga water.
Delhi CM cancels govt officials’ Sunday off
With heavy rains battering Delhi, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has cancelled the Sunday leave of all government officials and instructed them to be on the field. He also said Delhi Cabinet ministers and Mayor Shelly Oberoi will be inspecting “problem areas” in the city.
In a tweet in Hindi, Kejriwal said: “Yesterday, Delhi received 126 mm of rainfall. Fifteen per cent of the total rainfall that Delhi gets every monsoon was received in just 12 hours. People were severely affected due to waterlogging.
“Today, all the ministers of Delhi and the mayor will carry out an inspection of problem areas. Directions have been issued to all officers to be on the ground and their Sunday off has been cancelled,” he said.
Delhi recorded 153 mm of rain in 24 hours ending 8.30am on Sunday, the highest in a single day in July since 1982, the India Meteorological Department said.
3 killed in UP due to heavy rains
A woman and her six-year-old daughter were killed on Sunday after the roof of their house collapsed due to heavy rain, an official said.
Sub-divisional magistrate Parmanand Jha said the incident took place at around 3.30 am in Niyazura village of Muzaffarnagar district.
Meanwhile, a 10-year-old girl died when a tree branch fell on the tin shed of her house following rains in Sirathu, police said. The girl’s younger brother was also injured in the incident.
Heavy rain batters Rajasthan, four killed
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 drowned in two separate incidents in Sawai Madhopur, the police said.
The Met department has predicted very heavy rainfall in Rajsamand, Jalore and Pali districts over the next few days.
Heavy rainfall has also 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.
Unseasonal snowfall, rains lash Ladakh; red alert issued
Unseasonal snowfall and heavy rains lashed wide parts of Ladakh, prompting the meteorological department to issue a red alert for the region, officials said.
The rains also triggered landslides on the Leh-Kargil-Srinagar National Highway at Lamayuru, forcing the closure of the strategic highway, they said.
Officials said the high-altitude passes in both Leh and Kargil districts experienced unseasonal snowfall overnight after two days of rainfall.
“There has been widespread moderate to heavy rain and snowfall over the higher reaches of Ladakh. People are advised to remain vigilant and avoid slide-prone areas,” a spokesperson of the meteorological department said.
However, the weatherman predicted mainly dry weather with isolated rainfall at scattered places from July 10 to 14.
Bodies of two soldiers fished out in J-K’s Poonch
Bodies of two soldiers, who were swept away by flash floods triggered by heavy rains, were recovered in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Sunday.
The Army personnel were crossing Dogra nallah in Surankote area when they were swept away by a strong current on Saturday.

While the body of Naib Subedar Kuldeep Singh was fished out from the stream Saturday night, the mortal remains of the second soldier were recovered on Sunday.
The body of one of the deceased has been sent for postmortem, the officials said.
Traffic snarls and waterlogging in Punjab, Haryana
Heavy rains lashed many parts of Punjab and Haryana on Sunday, leading to waterlogging in low-lying areas and traffic snarls.
For the second consecutive day, rains lashed Panchkula, Yamunanagar, Ambala, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Sonipat among other places in Haryana while Fatehgarh Sahib, Mohali, Rupnagar and Patiala in Punjab also received heavy showers.
At some places in the two states, water entered houses and shops causing inconvenience to the people.
More rains have been forecast in parts of Haryana and Punjab over the next few days.
(With inputs from agencies)