Continuous rainfall in the hill states has severely disrupted normal life. Massive flow of water from rivers in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir has triggered flooding in several districts of Punjab. Several areas in Delhi-NCR experienced rainfall during the early hours on Tuesday. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), heavy rain is expected in Delhi-NCR on August 26. The department also said that light to moderate rain may continue in the national capital for the next 4 to 5 days.
Meanwhile, the weather department has also forecasted the possibility of rain in several districts of Uttar Pradesh. Continuous rainfall in the hill states has severely disrupted normal life. Massive flow of water from rivers in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir has triggered flooding in several districts of Punjab. Landslides caused by persistent rains have blocked key roads and highways across Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand.
An alert for heavy rainfall remains in effect for these states on Tuesday as well. In Himachal Pradesh, three pilgrims from Punjab lost their lives due to lack of oxygen while on the sacred Manimahesh Yatra. Around 800 devotees are currently stranded along the route between Hadsar and Dal. The Manimahesh Yatra, which resumed on Sunday, has once again been suspended due to ongoing rainfall and landslides, according to Bharmaur Additional District Magistrate Kuldeep Singh Rana, as reported by PTI.
A landslide occurred in Bali Chowki, located on the border of Mandi and Kullu districts in the Seraj Valley. The hill had been gradually sinking for several days, due to which around 9 houses and 15 shops were evacuated in advance. Late at night, the landslide engulfed several of these structures. The Transport Corporation’s workshop was also affected. However, there have been no reports of casualties, as the buildings had already been vacated. The state has been experiencing continuous rainfall for the past three days, resulting in hundreds of landslides. Additionally, numerous roads are blocked, and rivers and streams are in spate.
A red alert for severe rainfall has been issued in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh. Chandigarh-Manali Highway has been blocked at several locations due to landslides triggered by torrential rains. In view of the heavy rainfall warning, all schools and Anganwadi centers in Chamba, Kangra, Mandi and Una districts will remain closed on Tuesday as well.
On Monday, for the second consecutive day, Jammu and Kashmir continued to experience rainfall, heavy in some areas and light in others. The weather department has issued a red alert for the next two days in eight districts of the Jammu division and three districts in Kashmir.