The south-west monsoon hit Delhi and NCR on Sunday and advanced to several States throwing normal life out of gear in Rajasthan and Gujarat in the West and Himachal Pradesh in the North, even as nearly 3 lakh people remained affected due to floods in Assam in the North-East, where the weatherman has predicted very heavy rain in Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim. While heavy and very heavy showers drenched northern Bihar, heavy downpour is forecast for entire Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
The arrival of monsoon in Delhi/NCR after a delay of two days, that was confirmed by Met officials, came as a relief to the people of Delhi/NCR suffering due to the intense heat.
As per Skymet weather forecast, with the advancement of south-west monsoon into more parts of Rajasthan, heavy rain battered several parts of the State during the last 24 hours. At present, the Northern limit of Monsoon is passing through Barmer and Kota. Jodhpur bore the maximum brunt as heavy rain triggered a flood-like situation across the city. Jodhpur Observatory has recorded 16.2 mm of rain.
Massive water-logging was seen to such an extent that people and vehicles could be seen flowing with the water. Three teenagers were swept away in Sawai Madhopur district when they were taking bath in a nullah due to strong flow of water following heavy showers. A 59-year-old man also lost his life in a similar manner in Jodhpur. Heavy rainfall also affected the movement of trains in the State. Other places in Rajasthan have also recorded moderate to heavy rain.
In Assam, floods have affected more than 2.68 lakh people in Barpeta, lakhimpur, Jorhat, Karimganj, Cachar, Dhemaji, Karbi Anglong and Biswanath districts. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority’s report said 453 villages have been inundated and over 5,272 hectares of crop area damaged by the swirling flood waters. Karimganj is the worst hit with 1.53 lakh sufferers. While 76,000 people have been affected in lakhimpur, 5,670 people have taken shelter in 269 relief camps set up in four districts.
In the national Capital, a fresh spell of rain and a cloud cover thereafter kept the heat at bay. The Safdarjung observatory recorded 20.4 mm of rain till 8.30 am on Sunday while the rainfall recorded at Palam observatory was 37.9 mm. According to a Met official, the official date for monsoon arrival in Delhi was June 29 and finally it is arrived on Sunday morning. “A western disturbance will ensure similar rain in Delhi for two more days at a stretch,” official said.
The south-west monsoon also entered parts of Haryana, even as humid weather prevailed in other parts of the State and the neighbouring Punjab. The grain bowl States of the country, Punjab and Haryana had received scanty monsoon rain during last two years.
In Manipur, incessant rainfall has triggered a flood-like situation with all major rivers in the State flowing above the danger mark. Vast paddy fields and villages are inundated by the water overflowing from the swollen rivers. Some portions of Imphal are also flooded. Several low-lying areas and roads in the city and adjacent areas are also flooded. Nambul river is overflowing at several places. Vast paddy fields and residential areas in Heibongpokpi in Imphal West district are flooded, causing difficulties to people.
Rain lashed parts of Himachal Pradesh for the third consecutive day on Sunday as the south-west monsoon advanced into more areas of the State. About 400 tourists, who were stranded on a stretch of the Manali-leh National Highway, blocked due to landslides and inundated by rainwater, were rescued after 15 hours of hectic efforts. The Border Road Organisation teams cleared the blockage. The tourists spent the night in their vehicles in the biting cold.
Meanwhile, rain continued to pound parts of the State, which witnessed a series of landslides over the last week. Naina Davi received 81 mm of rainfall, Nahan 37 mm, Bijahi 35 mm, Shimla 25 mm, Kandaghat 18 mm, Jubbar Hatti 16 mm, Solan 14 mm, Kumarsen 13 mm, Paonta Sahib and Sarahan 7 mm each and Dharampur 5 mm. The MeT office has predicted moderate to heavy rain and thundershowers in the mid and lower hills, and snow and rain in the higher reaches up to July 8.
The heavy rain in Gujarat have triggered flood-like situation in the State. The low-lying areas in Ahmedabad are waterlogged. The city recorded 31 mm of rainfall. Tankara received a massive 280 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours. Teams of the disaster management department with the help of National Disaster Response Force personnel rescued around 14 people stranded in floodwaters in the district. The weather forecast predicted heavy to very heavy rain with extremely heavy rain at isolated places is very likely over Gujarat region.
Rainfall occurred at most places over Coastal Karnataka, Kerala and lakshadweep, at many places over South interior Karnataka, at a few places over Coastal Andhra Pradesh and North interior Karnataka and at isolated places over Rayalaseema, Telangana and Tamil Nadu.
“Heavy rain at isolated places is very likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya, West Bengal and Sikkim, Odisha, Jharkhand, west Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, east Rajasthan, Madhya,” the MeT department officials said.
The MeT department has predicted rain and thundershowers are very likely at most places over Konkan and Goa, at many places over Madhya Maharashtra and at a few places over Marathwada and Vidarbha.