7 killed in rain-related incidents in Himachal, Gujarat; more downpour in store

Incessant spells of rain continued to pound several parts of the country, causing deaths and leaving a trail of destruction due to flash floods and landslides.

Normal life, which was already thrown out of gear due to the torrential downpours, will elude the people for some time as more rain is in store in many states, including Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.

DELHI
The water level of the Yamuna in Delhi again breached the danger mark, with the river flowing at 205.81 metres at 7 am on Sunday.

For the last few days, the river’s water level has been fluctuating mainly due to rainfall in the hill states, including Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. The danger mark is 205.33 metres.

Revenue Minister Atishi on Saturday said the Delhi government is on high alert due to the discharge of over 2 lakh cusecs of water from the Hathnikund Barrage into the Yamuna.

Some parts of Yamuna Khadar (floodplains) might get inundated if the water level in the river rises to 206.7 metres but the government is ready for evacuation, she said in a statement.

Parts of Delhi have been grappling with waterlogging and flooding for more than a week now. Initially, a downpour caused intense waterlogging on July 8 and 9, with the city receiving 125 per cent of its monthly rainfall quota in just two days.

Subsequently, heavy rains in the upper catchment areas of the Yamuna, including in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana, led to the river swelling to a record 208.66 metres on July 13.

HIMACHAL PRADESH
In Himachal Pradesh, one of the worst-affected states due to the monsoon mayhem, five people were killed in separate rain-related incidents as the state was marooned with incessant rainfall.

A Nepali couple was buried alive in a landslide while an elderly couple and their grandson were feared dead after their dhaba was swept away in a flash flood in Shimla on Saturday, officials told PTI.

As heavy rains lashed Kalala village in Kotkhai in Shimla, the couple — Bhem Bahadur and his wife Sheela — were killed when their makeshift house collapsed due to the landslide. The duo hailed from Nepal and worked as labourers in Kalala, the officials added.

In another incident, an elderly couple and their grandson were feared dead after their dhaba in Badiyara village in the Rohru area in Shimla got swept away in a flash flood in the Laila rivulet, the officials said, adding that rescue work to trace the trio was on.

Following the flash flood, reports of damage to several houses and vehicles in Rohru have started pouring in, they added.

Meanwhile, the wreckage of a Punjab Roadways bus was found in the middle of the Beas river in Manali on Saturday, the police said.

Officials of Punjab Roadways who have identified the bus said it started its journey from Sector 34 in Chandigarh on July 9 and was swept away in floods on July 10 near Manali.

It is yet to be confirmed if there were passengers on the bus during the incident, the police said, adding that the bodies of the bus driver and conductor were recovered earlier.

The local weather office has issued a yellow warning of heavy rains in the state from July 23 to 26. It also sounded the risk of flash floods in Chamba, Kangra, Sirmaur, Kullu, Mandi and Kinnaur districts for the next 24 hours.

Since the onset of the monsoon in Himachal Pradesh on June 24, 154 people have died so far in rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods and cloudbursts, besides road accidents, according to the state Emergency Response Centre. The state has suffered a loss of Rs 5,077 crore so far.

UTTARAKHAND

In Uttarakhand, a yellow alert has been sounded for all 13 districts in the state. An orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall has been issued for the isolated areas of Dehradun, Pithoragarh and Uttarkashi.

The incessant rainfall has triggered landslides and blocked the Badrinath Highway in Chamoli. Efforts were on to restore traffic on the route. The Yamunotri Yatra has been suspended due to the calamity.

On Saturday, a cloud burst hit the higher reaches of Purola and Badkot tehsils of Uttarkashi district, However, no loss of human lives or property was reported.

Uttarkashi District Magistrate Abhishek Ruhela sought information regarding the situation from the District Disaster Control Room in the early hours of Saturday, the officials said.

He also spoke to public representatives and enquired about people affected by the rains and the damage caused in their respective areas.

Ruhela instructed all deputy district magistrates to ensure relief work is carried out on a war footing and financial aid is distributed to the affected people on Saturday itself, the officials said.

A few cottages of a tourist resort were damaged due to landslide debris in Gangnani in Barkot tehsil, they said.

The debris also entered the premises of Kasturba Gandhi Girls Residential School in Gangnani. However, all the students are safe, they said.

GUJARAT
Heavy to very heavy rains pounded several districts in Gujarat’s south and Saurashtra regions on Saturday, triggering a flood-like situation in urban areas and isolating villages amid rising water levels in dams and rivers surging to danger levels.

In Junagadh city, dozens of parked cars and cattle were swept away in gushing waters after it received 241 mm of rainfall in just 12 hours till 8 pm on Saturday.

People were seen wading through waist-deep water to shift to safer places. Some of them were rescued by volunteers as they were carried away in strong currents. Authorities imposed Section 144 in Junagadh district due to the heavy rains.

A father-son duo drowned after their car got washed away near Silvassa town of Dadra and Nagar Haveli district in the Union Territory neighbouring Gujarat. The two were caught by fast-moving waters on Friday night when they were trying to cross over a low-lying bridge.

In Navsari city, a man and his son were swept away in a swollen drain. While the man was rescued, efforts were underway to trace the son, an official said.

The Gujarat government said low-lying areas were flooded due to the rain in Junagadh district. At least 250 people were evacuated to safer places in an operation by this evening.

Two companies of NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) were deployed in Junagadh and a third company was also being dispatched. SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) also allocated two teams, along with five fire response teams of Rajkot municipal corporation and its adjoining Gondal municipality to carry out rescue operations.

Officials said more than 25,000 food packets were being prepared with the support of various social organisations to deliver food to the affected people in Junagadh district.

AHMEDABAD AIRPORT FLOODED
In Ahmedabad, the main airport area was waterlogged due to the torrential rainfall on Saturday night. Officials worked overnight to remove the excess water from the premises.

Taking to its Twitter handle, the airport urged all passengers to check their flight status with their respective airlines before making their journey. It also asked people not to park their vehicles in the airport premises due to the waterlogging.

MAHARASHTRA & MADHYA PRADESH
The administration in Maharashtra’s Raigad district on Saturday imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in Irshalwadi, where 27 people have died in a landslide.

The order issued by sub-divisional officer Karjat Ajit Nairali prohibits the movement of people other than those related to relief and rescue work, and tourists and trekkers. The prohibitory orders will be effective from July 23 till August 6, it stated.

Meanwhile, the death toll in the landslide at Irshalwadi hamlet in Raigad mounted to 27 on Saturday, the third day of the search and rescue operation, while 81 people were yet to be traced, an NDRF official said.

As per the order, the undetected bodies and animals were decomposing and a foul smell was spreading to the entire area.

Villages in Shahapur, Bhiwandi, and Vasai talukas in Thane and Palghar districts of Maharashtra have been put on alert in view of the possible discharge of water from the Tansa dam, officials said on Saturday night.

In Madhya Pradesh, two labourers were killed and four others injured due to a lightning strike in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district. The injured were admitted to Damoh district hospital, police told ANI.