Heavy rain continues in Himachal, Uttarakhand; showers to intensify over east India
Heavy rainfall-triggered landslides, flooding, and cloudbursts have caused the death of over 100 people and massive destruction in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Amid this, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday said that heavy showers are likely to continue over Himachal for the next two days and over Uttarakhand and northeast India for the next four to five days.
The weather agency also said that the rainfall activity is likely to intensify over Eastern India and adjoining central India from Wednesday due to a potential low-pressure area forming over the Bay of Bengal.
“Light to moderate scattered to widespread rainfall with isolated heavy rainfall activity is very likely over Andaman and Nicobar Islands today and on Thursday; over Odisha until Saturday; over Jharkhand from Wednesday and Friday; in West Bengal and Sikkim today and on Thursday. Isolated very heavy falls are also expected over Odisha on Thursday-Friday,” the IMD said.
It also added that heavy rainfall may cover isolated places over Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura.
Meanwhile, light to moderate rainfall is also likely over Chhattisgarh between August 17 and August 20, and over east Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha over the weekend, the IMD said.
Monsoon fury in Himachal, Uttarakhand
According to reports, over 60 people have died in rain-related incidents including landslides in Himachal Pradesh, and over 50 have died in Uttarakhand so far this monsoon.
On Tuesday, five to seven houses collapsed in Lalpani in the Krishna Nagar area of Shimla on Tuesday afternoon following a landslide, while six houses were destroyed in Uttarakhand’s
Vikasnagar due to a landslide.
Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday said that over 1,100 people have been evacuated from low-lying villages in the Kangra district using helicopters and motor boats. “Numerous migrant labourers who had travelled to Himachal Pradesh from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in search of employment were also safely relocated to secure locations and relief camps,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
All schools and colleges in Himachal and Uttarakhand have been shut amid heavy rainfall and destruction on Wednesday. Several roads and highways have also been blocked across the two states.
According to the IMD, the monsoon trough that is causing heavy rainfall over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand is gradually moving towards the south. “The monsoon trough is lying along the foothills of the Himalayas. It is likely to gradually shift southwards and lie near its normal position from August 18,” the weather department said in its bulletin on Tuesday.