Monsoon mayhem: Death toll rises to 82 in Himachal, Uttarakhand
The death toll from rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh rose to 72, with 13 people still missing. Whereas in neighboring Uttarakhand, the death toll climbed to 10 on Wednesday. All educational institutes in Himachal Pradesh will reportedly remain closed on Thursday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast more heavy downpours in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand for two and five days, respectively. Notably, heavy rainfall has caused widespread devastation in the hill states by triggering flash floods and landslides.
Several districts flooded in Punjab as rivers swell
As the water level reached dangerous heights due to heavy rainfall in the hills over the past three days, the floodgates at the Bhakra and Pong dams were opened, flooding Punjab's Hoshiarpur, Rupnagar, and Gurdaspur districts. The floodgates are expected to remain open for at least three more days. The Sutlej River, swollen by heavy rain, inundated villages between Nangal and Anandpur Sahib in the Ropar district, while the Beas River flooded parts of the Kapurthala district.
Over 10,000 people relocated to safer areas
Rescue operations are currently underway, with more than 960 people rescued across Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Punjab. Over 10,000 individuals have been relocated to safer areas. Moreover, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed 29 teams to assist with relief and rescue efforts, working alongside state disaster response units, the army, air force, police, and local authorities. In Himachal's Kangra district, helicopters and motorboats have been used to evacuate at least 1,100 people from high-risk areas.
Damages in Himachal amount to Rs. 7,200
According to reports, heavy rainfall has caused damages amounting to Rs 7,200 crore in Himachal Pradesh since June 24. Continuous rains caused flash floods in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra, Mandi, and Shimla districts, along with Punjab's Rupnagar district. Several homes were damaged, and many people were stranded in various places due to the havoc. Relentless downpours in Uttarakhand for the past 48 hours resulted in landslides disrupting national highways to Badrinath, Kedarnath, and Gangotri shrines.
Rainfall activity to intensify in eastern parts: IMD
A total of 57 bodies have been recovered in Himachal Pradesh since Sunday night. The total number of deaths in Himachal Pradesh since the beginning of the monsoon now stands at 327, with 38 individuals missing. Meanwhile, the IMD's latest weather bulletin warns of heavy rainfall in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, and Chhattisgarh until Sunday. Light to moderate rainfall is also expected in Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Sikkim, and parts of Madhya Pradesh until Friday.
