Monsoon Updates: Heavy Rains Alert Issued for HP, U'khand; 5 Dead in Rudraprayag Landslide

Heavy rains on Saturday wreaked havoc in numerous areas of Himachal Pradesh, resulting in floods, landslides, and the closure of over 300 roads. In Uttarakhand, at least five people, including three pilgrims from Gujarat, died after being buried under debris from a landslide on the Kedarnath Yatra route in Rudraprayag district.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its bulletin forecasted heavy to very heavy rainfall to persist over Uttarakhand for the next five days and over Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Sub Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim for the next two days. It also predicted extremely heavy downpours in Uttarakhand on Sunday and Monday. Isolated instances of heavy to very heavy rainfall were anticipated in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam and Meghalaya on Saturday with a decrease in intensity afterward.

Rainfall activity is expected to be subdued in the remaining parts of the country over the next 4-5 days, followed by a likely revival of active monsoon conditions thereafter, it added.

Here’s All You Need to Know About Weather Updates:

• In the early hours, a Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus met with an accident near Kango on the Mandi-Shimla highway in Mandi district, resulting in twelve passengers sustaining injuries due to the caving-in of the road, as confirmed by officials. The passengers narrowly avoided a more serious incident as the bus came to a halt on the sunken portion of the road, preventing it from rolling into a khud, according to reports.
• Continuous heavy rainfall led to road collapses, building failures, landslides, and rising water levels in rivers and streams in Himachal Pradesh. DGP Sanjay Kundu instructed district superintendents of police to remain vigilant and advise hospitals to be prepared, according to a statement released on Saturday.
• Landslides disrupted travel in Kullu-Manali, as the Mandi-Kullu National Highway between Mandi and Pandoh was blocked. Swollen waters from Suketi Khud inundated areas along its banks and roads, even entering houses in Balh valley in Mandi, causing several alternative routes to be obstructed. A fresh landslide at Chakki Mor resulted in the temporary closure of the Shimla-Kalka National Highway, with partial reopening for light vehicles later in the day. Despite some relief, multiple landslides and fog continued to impede traffic. Officials reported the closure of 302 roads across the state.
• The road to Sri Nainadevi temple was blocked by a landslide, prompting the redirection of visitors to an alternative route for temple access. In Solan district’s Nalagarh area, heavy rainfall triggered a major landslide, causing the collapse of four rooms within the 600-year-old Nalagarh Fort on Friday night. The fort, originally built by Raja Bikram Chand of the Chand dynasty in 1421 AD, has been transformed into a resort by the former royal family.
• Shimla MeT office has issued an orange alert of heavy to very rainfall on Sunday and a yellow warning of heavy rain on Monday.
• As of now, 255 individuals have lost their lives in rain-related incidents and road accidents in Himachal Pradesh during the current Monsoon season since June 24, as indicated by data from the state emergency operation center.
• In Uttarakhand’s rain-hit Kotdwar area, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami conducted an on-site assessment. The visit included the site of a recent landslide where a man had gone missing a few days earlier, as well as the inspection of several bridges that were impaired, cutting off a large population from the rest of the state.
• Dhami instructed Pauri District Magistrate Ashish Chauhan to oversee the restoration of the bridge in Gadighati that had sustained damage. He also assessed the alternative bridge spanning the Malan River, which serves as a connection between Kotdwar and Bhabar.
• The Chief Minister said that the government’s primary focus is to restore normalcy in the rain-impacted state and promptly extend assistance and relief to the affected people. Subsequently, a comprehensive evaluation of the disaster’s impact across different regions will be conducted, and necessary improvements in arrangements will be addressed, he added
• Five people were in a car when a landslide struck Tarsali in the Phata region along the Kedarnath Yatra route in Rudraprayag district on Thursday night. However, due to a pause in the ceaseless rain, their bodies were retrieved on Friday. Among the deceased were three pilgrims from Gujarat and one from Haridwar. Police are currently working to identify the fifth victim.
• The Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for heavy rainfall in six districts of the state on Friday, followed by a red alert for the subsequent three days. The Dehradun Meteorological Center has placed Tehri, Dehradun, Pauri, Champawat, Nainital, and Udham Singh Nagar districts under an orange alert for Friday, extending to a red alert from August 12 to 14. The center has urged the administration to exercise necessary precautions when disseminating warnings.
• As per details provided by the State Emergency Operation Center, the ongoing monsoon has resulted in 58 fatalities and 37 injuries across multiple incidents. Additionally, 19 individuals are reported missing in Uttarakhand.
• East India: Widespread light to moderate rainfall with isolated heavy rainfall is expected over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim from August 12 to 14, Gangetic West Bengal on 12, 13 and 16, Bihar on 12 and 13, Odisha on 15 and 16, and Jharkhand on August 16. Also, anticipate isolated very heavy rainfall over Sub-Himalaya West Bengal and Sikkim on 12 and 13, the IMD said.
• Northeast India: Fairly widespread light to moderate rainfall with isolated heavy rainfall is predicted over Arunachal Pradesh and Assam and Meghalaya from August 12 to 16 and over Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura on 12, 15 and 16. Isolated very heavy rainfall over Arunachal Pradesh and Assam and Meghalaya on August 12.
• Central, West and South India: Scattered light to moderate rainfall with isolated heavy rainfall is likely over Tamil Nadu on August 12. Subdued rainfall activity is likely over the remaining parts of these regions in the next 7 days.

(With inputs from PTI)