Jets of water from torrential rains in the hills of northern India washed away villages, washed away roads and isolated remote villages on Wednesday, killing at least 16 people and another 30 injured or missing.
Authorities reported two separate incidents of rain, when a station receives 10 cm or more of rain in an hour, in the Kishtwar district of J&K on Wednesday morning and in Lahaul-Spiti of Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday evening.
Flash floods were reported in three states, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and J&K, and experts linked the devastating downpours to climate change. Heavy rains in northern India killed lives, flooded cities, abandoned farm fields and even damaged a power plant in Kargil.
โThe central government is closely monitoring the situation in the wake of the showers in Kishtwar and Kargil. All possible assistance is being made available in the affected areas. I pray for everyone's safety and well-being, โPrime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.
Union Interior Minister Amit Shah spoke to senior officials and said National Disaster Response Force teams were on site. "Our priority is saving lives," he said.
JAMMU AND KASHMIR
At around 4 a.m. on Wednesday, a torrent of water gushed downstream, surprising about 100 residents of Honzar village in Kishtwar district. Many of them were still sleeping when the water left their village and washed their houses into the stream.
Additional Police Director General Mukesh Singh said seven people were killed and 17 rescued. "Six were seriously injured and taken to Kishtwar district hospital," he said. At least 26 people were still missing.
Singh said the flood damaged 19 houses and 21 stables. "The army is assisting the local police in rescue operations," he said.
A separate storm later in the day caused flash flooding near the Amarnath shrine. No loss of life was reported.
HIMACHAL PRADESH
Nine people were killed and seven were missing in two separate flash floods in Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti districts, officials with the state disaster management authority said.
A downpour flooded Tozing Nullah and washed away two worker tents and a JCB machine in Lahaul and Spiti district on Tuesday night, Deputy Commissioner Neeraj Kumar said. Eight people died.
State Disaster Management Director Sudesh Mokhta said a landslide near the town of Kirting in Lahaul subdivision blocked state highway No. 26, leaving 50 vehicles stranded. Another landslide occurred on the highway in Hawaii Mod, near the village of Kukumseri. Landslides are also blocking the Leh-Manali highway.
In Chamba, a JCB aide was killed in flash floods. Five more were missing. In Kullu, a 25-year-old woman and her four-year-old son were swept away by river currents.
In two simultaneous downpours on Tuesday night, a mini power station was severely damaged in the Kargil area of โโthe Ladakh Union Territory.
UTTARAKHAND
Heavy rains caused several landslides and traffic problems across the state. In Almora district, a local Jawan guard was swept away by an overflowing stream on Wednesday morning. The low-lying areas of the state capital, Dehradun, were flooded.
Tourists were also prevented from going to the popular Kempty Falls tourist spot near Mussoorie.
The Dehradun center of the Indian Meteorological Department said the state witnessed "moderate rain with heavy to very heavy rain" on Wednesday and the monsoon is expected to remain active in the state for the next few days. "Precipitation in the state is above normal in July with excess rain in June," said Bikram Singh, director of the IMD Dehradun center.
Heavy rains were recorded in the region of the national capital, Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar. The IMD predicted heavy rains in northern India and various areas of Madhya Maharashtra, Kokan and Goa over the next two days.
July had witnessed several incidents of storms and mini storms, where rainfall of 50mm to 60mm occurs in a short duration. Both lead to a sudden gush of water in the catchment areas of monsoon streams leading to massive landslides and rock movement in fast-flowing water. Last Sunday, heavy rains and landslides killed nine tourists in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh.
Data collected by the governments of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand show a gradual increase in rainstorm incidents, which officials in the two states attribute to the devastation of mountain forests for development and horticulture, in addition to the impact of the change. climate in rainfall patterns.
