Incessant rain in several parts of North India has brought the entire region on its knees, claiming at least 34 lives in the past three days.
Many streets and buildings in cities and towns are still covered in knee-deep water. Over the next few days, further rain is expected in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, Delhi, and its surrounding districts.
People from Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Delhi uploaded terrifying photographs of the catastrophe online, including cars floating like paper boats, muddy waters pouring into neighbourhoods, buildings inundated on the banks of the rivers, and land cave-ins.
Watch the videos here:
In Himachal Pradesh, constant rain caused landslides and flash floods that destroyed homes and other buildings and disrupted daily life. As all major rivers, including the Ravi, Beas, Satluj, Swan, and Chenab, are in spate, flash floods in Manali, Kullu, Kinnaur, and Chamba also caused some shops and vehicles to be washed away.
Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, the chief minister, has urged people to stay inside for the ensuing 24 hours. "All state citizens are kindly asked to stay inside for the upcoming 24 hours due to the forecast calling for extremely heavy rain. Three helplines, 1100, 1070, and 1077, have been launched. To give information about anyone trapped in the disaster, dial these numbers. I'm here for you 24/7 to assist you, "In a video message, he stated.
"So far, more than 20 people have lost their lives majorly due to road accidents and similar reasons. The loss of lives due to landslides and flash floods is not as high. Over 1,300 roads, including major national highways, district, and link roads in the state, are affected. We are on high alert for the next two days," Himachal Pradesh Minister Jagat Singh Negi said today.
"Over 20 individuals have died so far, mostly from traffic accidents and other related causes. Landslides and flash floods do not cause as many fatalities. There are around 1,300 affected roads in the state, including important national highways, district roads, and link roads. For the upcoming two days, we are on high alert," Negi said.
Landslides and flash floods in Uttarakhand
Landslides and flash floods were reported in neighbouring Uttarakhand too, with reports of water level in rivers and streams crossing the danger mark.
Additionally, landslides and flash floods in neighbouring Uttarakhand with dangerously high river and stream levels were reported.
Due to waterlogging brought on by heavy rain, all schools in Delhi and Gurgaon are still closed today. In order to prevent traffic today, the Gurgaon administration has also urged corporate houses to work from home.
Delhi government set up 16 control centres
After Haryana released more than one lakh cusecs of water into the Yamuna river from the Hathnikund barrage, the Delhi government set up 16 control centres to keep an eye on the flood-prone districts.
Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister, presided over a high-level meeting to talk about waterlogging brought on by rain in the city and the rising water levels in the Yamuna. According to projections made by experts, Mr. Kejriwal stated today that floods are unlikely to occur in Delhi. We would move people from low-lying areas to safe areas if necessary, he continued.
For the Jammu and Kashmir districts of Kathua and Samba, a red alert has been issued. However, after being halted for three days, the Amarnath Yatra started on Sunday from the Panjtarni and Sheshnag base camps.
Authorities sprang into action in the worst-hit districts as a result of widespread waterlogging and floods caused by heavy rain in many locations in Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana.
