Capital Delhi
Delhi turned into a floating city after record-breaking downpour late on Wednesday, the highest single-day rainfall for July in 14 years, leading to prolonged traffic jams and 11 deaths in the Delhi-NCR areas. A woman and her three-year-old toddler who fell into an overflowing under-construction drain in east Delhi’s Ghazipur were among the victims.
The weather station at Safdarjung recorded 108 millimetres of rainfall within a span of 24 hours. It caused major traffic congestion especially in Lutyen’s Delhi.
The rain led to water leaking from the roof of the lobby of the newly inaugurated Parliament building. Waterlogging was seen around the premises of the new Parliament, particularly near the Makar Dwar of the Parliament. Several videos of the flooding went viral on social media.
Opposition leaders took swipe at the Narendra Modi Government over “water leakage” in a lobby of the new Parliament building and praised the “sturdy” old Parliament building for its better infrastructure during monsoon. In a statement Lok Sabha Secretariat said a minor water leak in the new Parliament building was due to displacement of an adhesive material used to fix glass domes over the lobby and corrective measures were taken immediately.
“During the heavy rain on Wednesday, the adhesive material used to fix the glass domes over the Lobby of the Building was slightly displaced, causing minor leakage of water in the Lobby,” the Lok Sabha Secretariat said in a statement.
It said the problem was detected timely and corrective measures were taken immediately. “Thereafter, no further leakage of water has been noticed,” the Lok Sabha Secretariat said.
Six weather stations across Delhi recorded over 100 mm of rain in a single day. Rains in Delhi, which was put on a ‘red alert’, claimed lives of atleast six people in the city including a 62-year-old man who died in a building collapse in north Delhi’s Sabji Mandi area, a 22-year-old woman and her three-year-old son in east Delhi’s Ghazipur area who drowned after they slipped into a waterlogged drain, a 12-year-old boy who got electrocuted after coming in contact with a live wire in southwest Delhi’s Bindapur area, an 18 year old boy who fell and died in South Delhi’s Sangam Vihar and a 28 year old Prabhat who died due to electrocution at his home in South east Delhi’s Meethapur.
Five deaths were reported in the adjoining regions of the city including Gurugram and Noida. In Haryana’s Gurugram, three died due to electrocution after coming in contact with high tension wire after heavy rain while two died in Greater Noida after a wall collapse in Dadri area.
Multiple incidents of fallen trees, water inundated roads, and wall collapses were reported from across the city as several key stretches were choked with unending traffic and people left stranded.
A data by the Delhi Police showed that it received 2,945 calls related to traffic jams, 127 calls of waterlogging, 27 calls of building collapse and 50 calls for uprooted trees till 7 am in the morning of Thursday. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) received a total of 12 calls between 9 pm to 6 am including two calls of tree falling and 10 of waterlogging while it received 43 calls between 2 pm to 6 pm on Thursday including 22 calls regarding waterlogging and 21 calls of tree fallen. PWD officials said they received 90 calls regarding waterlogging and 20 calls for clearing uprooted trees till 6 am on Thursday.
The inclement weather also hit air traffic with many flights scheduled to land at the Delhi airport being diverted. Schools in the city remained closed on Thursday as per the announcement made by Delhi Education Minister Atishi late Wednesday night. The maximum temperature was recorded at 33.4 degrees Celsius, one notch below the average, while the minimum temperature settled at 24.3 degrees Celsius, three notches below the average.
Wayanad
Even as the South-West Monsoon’s fury continued unabated in Wayanad district, the death toll in the massive landslides in Mundakkai settlement crossed 283 mark by 6 pm on Thursday. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who inspected the flood-affected region, told mediapersons that the landslides and deluge which wreaked havoc in Wayanad district should be declared as a national disaster. The non-stop rain in the district has affected the pace of the rescue operations as disaster response team members were finding it hard to wade through the slush, water and boulders.
Though 283 bodies have been retrieved during the last three days of search and rescue operations, rescue workers are yet to make any breakthrough regarding the dismembered human bodies recovered from the rivers and the landslide-affected regions. There is no information about 240 persons from Mundakkai missing after Tuesday’s landslides.
Engineers of the Indian Army have almost completed the laying of the Bailey bridge across the Chaliyar river to facilitate rescue operations.
Soldiers and volunteers of the National Disaster Response Team numbering more than 500 are working round-the-clock in their efforts to rescue persons trapped underneath the boulders and clay.
Chief Minister Vijayan said in his media briefing that the Army officers had told him that there was no possibility of finding any survivor in Mundakkai as the entire population havehas been either drowned or washed away by the gushing waters following the landslides.
All 348 houses in Mundakkai were washed away by the flood waters. The Central Water Commission, the agency entrusted with the task of issuing warnings about floods, issued a flood alert in five districts of the State. Vijayan had on Wednesday blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for the failure of the central agencies in issuing timely warnings about the flood and landslides.
Water level in two rivers in Wayanad have crossed the danger level and the NDRT officials are monitoring the situation on a round-the-clock. Environmentalists like P K Ramachandran, T P Kunhikkannan and John Peruvanthanam are of the view that the Government of Kerala should launch immediate missions to mitigate the impact of future landslides and deluges instead of entering a one-up man ship race.
The arrival of Rahul Gandhi, who had represented Wayanad in Lok Sabha during 2019 to 2024 and his sister Priyanka Vadra brought a major relief to the residents of Wayanad. The sibling were accorded warm welcome by the people and the members of the Nehru-Gandho clan toured the region affected with landslide and flood. They called on those undergoing treatment in various hospitals in the district and also visited relief camps.
Chief Minister Vijayan , after presiding over an all-party meeting and the cabinet sub-committee held at district head quarters Kalpetta said that a team of five ministers would continue to work in the district till further orders to coordinate the rescue and rehabilitation works.
Rahul Gandhi, while speaking to reporters after visiting the affected regions and calling on the survivors, demanded that people should get what they require. “This is a national disaster for sure and we all owe the survivors love and affection,” said the Leader of the Opposition.
Anie Raja, CPI leader, who had contested from Wayanad in the 2024 Lok Sabha election and who was defeated by Rahul Gandhi is touring the landslide affected regions. She is the front runner in the Left Democratic Front (LDF) to contest the by poll from the Wayanad constituency which fell vacant by the resignation of Rahul Gandhi.
Himachal / Uttarakhand
Building collapsing in Kullu in Himachal Pradesh, roads being washed away, pilgrims being airlifted — these were the scenes in Uttarakhand and neighbouring Himalayan State of HP on Thursday morning as multiple cloudbursts led to rain wreaking havoc in these States.
At least 17 people were killed, 50 missing and hundreds are stranded in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh due to heavy rains and multiple cloudbursts and toll is likely to go up. More than 1,500 pilgrims stranded on the Kedarnath trek route, which is blocked at several places by boulders, have been shifted to safe places. Pilgrims are being rescued with the help of both helicopters and rescue teams consisting of the SDRF, NDRF, police and district administration.
According to officials, 425 pilgrims have been brought to safety by helicopter from Lincholi and Bhimbali while 1100 pilgrims have reached Sonprayag on foot from various places with the help of rescue teams. The pilgrims had got stranded beyond Bhimbali along Gaurikund-Kedarnath trek route when 20-25 metres of the stretch were washed out by heavy rain on Wednesday night, Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said. While multiple cloudbursts caused severe damage with five people confirmed dead and more than 50 others reported missing in Mandi, Kullu and Shimla.
In Uttarakhand, at least 12 people including three of a family, were killed and six injured in heavy overnight rains in various parts that triggered many incidents of house collapse, flooding and rise in water levels of several rivers.
An advisory has been issued for Kedarnath-bound pilgrims asking them to wait in a safe place until the weather improves and the roads blocked here and there are restored. Both Mandakini and Alaknanda rivers in Rudraprayag district are flowing close to the danger mark.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and took stock of the situation arising due to the cloudburst in the state, and assured him of all help from the Centre.
Uttarkhand chief minister Pushkar Dhami said the government stands with the affected people. All possible assistance will be provided to them. He directed Tehri District Magistrate to streamline road connectivity, electricity and drinking water supply in the affected areas to restore normalcy.
In Kharkhari, a truck carrying rations and essentials for a group of kanwariyas was among the vehicles washed away. Roads were submerged in many areas of Haridwar and the rainwater also entered the Kankhal police station. Many colonies and markets of Bhupatwala, Haridwar, Naya Haridwar, Kankhal and Jwalapur also got flooded. Schools up to class 12 and Anganwadi centres remained closed on Thursday in various districts, including Dehradun.
In Himachal Pradesh, the cloudburst took place in Nirmand, Sainj and Malana areas in Kullu, Padhar in Mandi and Rampur in Shimla districts.A cloudburst at Samej Khud (nallah) in Rampur subdivision of Shimla district left two people dead and 28 others missing, Superintendent of Police (SP), Shimla, Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi, said.
The Shimla DC and SP, who were on the spot, said that teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indo Tibetan Border Police, police and home guards have started rescue operations and help of drones is being taken to locate the missing persons.
Another cloudburst in village Rajban near Terang in Padhar subdivision of Mandi district on Wednesday night left one person dead and nine others missing. Two houses have been washed away while another was damaged, officials said. A cloudburst also occurred in Kullu district, leaving seven people missing.
Speaking with reporters after an emergency meeting on the matter, HP CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that massive damage has been caused in Shimla, Kullu and Mandi districts since Wednesday night and about 50 persons are missing and Manali has been cut off by road.
