A fresh spell of torrential rain lashed north India on Tuesday, plunging states including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand into chaos.
The relentless downpour has exacerbated existing crises, which had triggered flash floods, landslides, and severe waterlogging, while claiming lives and damaging infrastructure.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted heavy to very heavy rainfall over the next two days, raising fears of further devastation in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir.
Heavy rainfall across north India has severely disrupted train services. The rail network connecting Jammu and Kashmir to the rest of the country has been hit hardest, with only two trains currently operational.
The traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway was suspended again on Tuesday after the rains triggered mudslides and shooting of stones from the hillock at various places between Samroli and Banihal sector, the officials said.
The otherwise bustling Katra base camp and route leading to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine wore a deserted look as the pilgrimage to the temple in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district remained suspended for the eighth straight day.
The devastating floods in Punjab have already claimed 29 lives besides impacting more than 2.56 lakh people. The swollen Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers and seasonal rivulets have flooded large parts of Punjab following unprecedented rainfall.
Punjab is reeling under what CM Bhagwant Mann has called the “worst flood in recent history.”
A total of 12 districts, including Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur and Amritsar, have been hit by the floods.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after landing in Delhi from China, called up Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday to take stock of the situation. About his conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the chief minister said, “He inquired about the situation. Home Minister Amit Shah also called up.” Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday again sought the release of Punjab’s Rs 60,000 crore “pending” funds from the Centre, saying he was demanding the state’s “rights” and not “begging” for it in the wake of floods in the region.
Visiting flood-affected villages in Ferozepur district, the visibly emotional chief minister said Punjab always stood with the nation in times of crisis, and hoped that the country would reciprocate now.
Meanwhile, a red alert has been sounded for Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand for extremely heavy rainfall and flash floods. Both hilly states have been warned of more landslides and floods as the weather department predicts more rainfall in the coming weeks.
A Srinagar-based spokesman of the Meteorological Department also predicted moderate to heavy rainfall in most parts of the Jammu division on September 2 and 3.
“There is a possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall over Kathua, Jammu, Udhampur, and Reasi, and moderate to heavy rainfall over Doda, Samba, Rajouri, Poonch, Ramban, Kishtwar in Jammu region and Anantnag and Kulgam in south Kashmir mainly towards late night of September 2 or early morning of September 3 till late afternoon,” the spokesman said.
There is a possibility of cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides or the shooting of stones from hillocks at many vulnerable places and a rise in water level in rivers and streams, he said, asking people to stay away from water bodies and avoid landslide-prone areas.
Late Tuesday evening, Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Ramesh Kumar, ordered the closure of multiple routes following heavy rainfall, landslides, and safety concerns. The water level in the River Tawi was also constantly rising.
In a post on X, Div Com Ramesh wrote that traffic has been barred on the 4th Bridge and the nearby rotary. The administration has advised commuters to avoid movement from Hotel Asia, Satwari Chowk, and Bhagwati Nagar towards Major Somnath Chowk and the 4th Bridge.
In Srinagar, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti appealed to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to introduce a dedicated train service between Kashmir and Delhi to mitigate the challenges faced by fruit growers in the valley in the wake of the closure of the Srinagar-Jammu national highway.
“Fruit growers have been facing severe financial losses every year due to the closure of NH 44. Unfortunately, this year, the road has once again been closed, leaving hundreds of fruit-laden vehicles stranded, resulting in inevitable losses,” Mufti said in a post on X.
In Chandigarh, all schools have been asked to remain shut on Tuesday.
The Directorate of School Education Jammu (DSEJ) on Tuesday ordered closure of all Government and private schools across Jammu Division on September 3 in view of the prevailing weather conditions.
In Himachal Pradesh, atleast 1,311 roads, including six national highways, were closed, and schools were shut as heavy rainfall on Tuesday sent normal life in disarray in Himachal Pradesh. Of 1,305 roads, 289 roads are closed in Mandi, 241 in Shimla, 239 in Chamba, 169 in Kulku and 127 in Sirmaur district. The situation is worse in interior areas where the link roads are blocked for several days and apple producers are unable to send their produce to markets. On Monday, trains plying on the Shimla-Kalka track were cancelled following landslips.
The service will remain suspended till September 5, officials said. An under-construction house was damaged following a landslide in the Anni area of Kullu district. No casualty was reported as the house had been announced endangered during the 2023 monsoon disaster and was vacated. The Statehas suffered losses to the tune of Rs 3,158 crore this monsoon so far, according to official data.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the flood-hit regions of Laksar and Haridwar districts on Tuesday. Despite the difficult conditions, CM Dhami conducted a ground inspection of the affected areas, using a tractor to navigate through the submerged regions. Additionally, he boarded a boat to reach remote areas and meet with the residents, listening to their concerns and understanding the gravity of their challenges.
CM Dhami took to his official social media account, announcing his visit to Laksar’s flood-impacted areas, where he conducted a thorough on-site review of the situation using both a tractor and a boat. He reassured locals that swift and effective relief measures would be implemented to address their immediate needs.Addressing the situation of farmers who suffered significant crop losses, CM Dhami assured that the StateGovernment would swiftly evaluate the extent of the damage and initiate the compensation process without delay.