After the sweltering heatwave, the monsoons have finally hit parts of northwestern and eastern India. However, rains have not only brought respite from soaring temperatures but brought with it new problems - waterlogging in cities, delay in trains and natural disasters driven by inclement weather are being reported in several states. Here are some states that are seeing adverse effects of monsoon:
Cloudburst, Flash Floods in Himachal
Flash flood deaths: The monsoons fury was felt heavily in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh where at least seven people are feared dead in separate incidents triggered by heavy rains and flash floods in Kullu district on Wednesday. At Manikaran in the district, at least four people have been feared washed away. Besides three persons are feared drowned in separate parts of Kullu district amid heavy rains.
Missing after cloudburst: Though rescue teams were rushed, many have been stuck midway due to landslides. Four to six people have been missing following the cloud burst at Chojh village in Challal panchayat at around 6 am. Over 25 employees working at the Malana power project in the district were rescued from a building that was damaged by flash floods. Kullu Superintendent of Police Gurdev Sharma said the bridge across Parvati River was also damaged in the cloudburst at Chojh.
Flood warning: The floodgates of Larje and Pandoh dams are being opened and the people living in downstream areas have been put on a high alert.
Landslides in Maharashtra, Mumbai Waterlogged
Several parts of Maharashtra have been witnessing heavy rainfall since July 4. In many parts, rivers have been flowing near the danger mark and inundating low-lying areas.
Rain alert: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issues four colour-coded predictions based on the prevailing weather systems. The green colour indicates no warning, yellow is to keep a watch, orange is to stay alert, while red means a warning and that action needs to be taken. The IMD issued a heavy rainfall alert for the state on Wednesday and the next two days. The IMD has issued a 'red alert' for south Konkan, Goa and south central Maharashtra from July 6-8. It said heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely at a few places with extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places during this period. It issued an 'orange alert' for north Konkan. For north central Maharashtra, east Vidarbha and west Vidarbha, the IMD issued a 'yellow alert' for Wednesday and orange for Thursday and Friday. There was a 'yellow alert' for the Marathwada region, forecasting heavy rainfall on Wednesday and the next two days.
Landslides: The state capital Mumbai continued to witness heavy downpour for the third consecutive day, resulting in a landslide near a chawl, water-logging at many places and traffic disruptions. Three persons including a minor boy were injured after a portion of a hill crashed on the two-storey Narayan Hadke Chawl (tenement) in Chunabhatti area around 10.30 am. A landslide also occurred on a road leading to the Pratapgad Fort in western Maharashtra's Satara district on Wednesday following heavy rains. There was no report of any casualty and no one was trapped in the debris, the Public Works Department said.
Waterlogging: Mumbaikars continued to face hardship due to flooding on roads. A citizen in a tweet said they now need a boat to commute, instead of a car. In the 24-hour period ending at 8 am on Wednesday, the island city (south Mumbai) received an average 107 mm rainfall, while the eastern and western suburbs recorded 172 mm and 152 mm downpour, respectively. While lakes in the city were filling up because of the incessant rains, there was no end to woes of the general public as many low-lying places like Hindmata, and areas in Dadar and Sion, including the Gandhi Market and road number 24 in Sion, were inundated, forcing pedestrians to wade through the water and making it difficult for motorists to commute. BEST Undertaking's bus services were diverted on two dozen routes at six locations. On Tuesday, heavy showers in Mumbai and its adjoining areas caused water-logging at a number of places, including railway tracks, which had led to train delays and affected vehicular movement on roads.
Floods in Karnataka
Heavy rains disrupted normal life in coastal areas and Malnad region of Karnataka this week, causing immense damage to residential houses, buildings, electric poles, and properties in affected areas like Kodagu where a swell in rivers due to the downpour had led to the inundation of agricultural fields and low lying areas.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said rescue works have been taken up on priority and directions have been issued to take up relief work immediately. Teams of SDRF and NDRF have been deployed to take up rescue works.
The district administrations of Dakshina Kannada (DK) and Udupi have declared holiday for all educational institutions on Wednesday in view of continuing rains in the coastal region.
Lightning deaths in Rajasthan
Three people were killed in two separate incidents after being struck by lightning in Bundi district, as per officials on Wednesday as monsoons continued to advance in the state. Several parts of Rajasthan received heavy rain since Tuesday as the monsoon slowly gained momentum over the state. According to the meteorological centre in Jaipur, very heavy rain has been recorded in some parts of Banswara, Dungarpur, Udaipur and Jhalawar districts. Sajjangarh and Banswara both recorded the highest rainfall of 109 mm while Barmer gauged 51.5 mm of rain.
Moderate to heavy rains will continue in parts of Kota, Udaipur and Jodhpur divisions on Wednesday, the weather department said. From July 7 to 10, a spell of rain will start in the northern parts of the state as well, including Bharatpur, Jaipur, Bikaner, and Ajmer divisions.
Due to the formation of another new low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal from July 12-13, the rain activities in the state are expected to continue in the coming week as well.
Crop Failure Due To Low Rain In West Bengal
While other states in north and south western India drowned in excess rain, the eastern state of West Bengal has so far received less than its expected share of rain, sending farmers in a tizzy. Since the onset of monsoon in June, the state has received deficient rainfall in 15 of its 23 districts, raising the likelihood of crop loss in some places. Steps are being taken by the irrigation department to avert any crisis that may arise due to insufficient rainfall, they said. According to State irrigation minister Soumen Mohapatra, there is a possibility that paddy and vegetable cultivation might get affected in some districts including Malda, Birbhum and Murshidabad owing to insufficient rainfall so far. South Bengal districts are likely to receive "below normal" rainfall in July as well due to the late entry of monsoons in West Bengal this year.
(With inputs from PTI)
