Monsoon mayhem: Kashmir cut off from rest of India, rising Yamuna threatens Delhi

Incessant and torrential rains battered the northern states on Thursday, with Himachal Pradesh reeling under the natural disaster ever since the onset of monsoon and Delhi getting impacted due to the rising water levels of the Yamuna river.

Educational institutions have been shut down, normal life has been adversely affected and business has come to a standstill due to the heavy rains and flood-like situation in states like Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh.

Two houses collapsed following a landslide in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district on Thursday, leaving one person dead and six more buried under the rubble, officials said.

A team of NDRF rescued three people, including a woman, and recovered one body.

Incessant rains in the past three-four days have triggered landslides at several places and three persons have been rescued, one body recovered while search is on for six persons buried under the rubble of the house in Akhada Bazaar, Deputy Commissioner, Kullu, Torul S Ravish said, adding rains are obstructing the rescue work.

A total of 1,292 roads are closed in the state. While 294 were blocked in Mandi, 226 are in Kullu, 216 in Shimla, 204 in Chamba and 91 in Sirmaur district, State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said.

The local Met office has issued a yellow alert for thunderstorms and lightning in isolated places in the state on Friday and Saturday.

Since the onset of monsoon in Himachal on June 20, the state has witnessed 95 flash floods, 45 cloudbursts and 127 major landslide incidents.

At least 343 people have died in rain-related incidents and road accidents, while 43 are missing since the monsoon began.

The state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 3,690 crore this monsoon so far, according to official data.

The Kashmir Valley was cut off from the rest of the country as all surface links, including the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, were closed for traffic on Thursday due to multiple landslides and the washing away of road patches due to rain.

The closure of highways and other inter-regional roads since August 26 has resulted in over 3,500 vehicles getting stuck at various places from Kathua to Kashmir. The highway was partially reopened on Monday to facilitate the movement of some stranded vehicles.

Besides this, important highways, including the Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch highway and the Batote-Doda-Kishtwar highway, are shut for traffic in view of landslides and the washing away of portions of roads.

Rail traffic has remained suspended in the Jammu railway division for the past nine days due to misalignment and breaches at multiple locations in the Pathankot-Jammu section following heavy rains and flash floods on August 26.

Scores of people, especially pilgrims, were stranded as heavy rains lashed the Jammu region since August 26, severely disrupting rail and road traffic.

A landslide near the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra claimed 34 lives.

The water level in the Yamuna at Delhi’s Old Railway Bridge remained steady at 207.46 metres between 11 am and 12 noon on Thursday, officials said.

They added that the level is expected to begin receding gradually, though floodwaters continue to inundate nearby areas and relief camps.

Floodwaters reached near Delhi Secretariat, which houses the offices of the Chief Minister, Cabinet ministers and key bureaucrats. Floodwaters also reached the Shri Marghat Wale Hanuman Baba Mandir near Kashmere Gate.

“Every year, when the water level of the Yamuna rises, it bathes the idol of Lord Hanuman. This is holy water. We revere it,” said a devotee.

It was a double whammy for Delhiites, as waterlogging caused by incessant rain over the past couple of days, combined with Yamuna flooding, led to major traffic snarls.

According to the revenue department, 8,018 persons have been moved to tents, while 2,030 have been shifted to 13 permanent shelters.

Punjab is currently facing one of its worst flood disasters in decades. The floods are a result of swollen rivers, the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi, along with seasonal rivulets caused by heavy rainfall in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

The deluge has claimed 37 lives so far and impacted over 3.55 lakh people. Crops on more than 1.75 lakh hectares of land have perished in the floods, officials stated.

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday visited flood-hit areas in Punjab’s Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts, where he interacted with people, including farmers, affected by the deluge.

The Punjab Government on Wednesday extended the closure of all schools, colleges and universities till September 7 due to the prevailing flood situation in the state.

In Haryana, the state’s Public Health and Engineering Minister Ranbir Gangwa on Wednesday convened an emergency meeting, directing officials to ensure immediate drainage and uninterrupted drinking water supply across the state.