In Himachal Pradesh and Jammu-Kashmir, flash floods triggered by cloudbursts created havoc, washing away bridges and roads and houses. It claimed at least seven lives on Thursday as the monsoon tightened its grip over several parts of India. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a ‘red alert’ for three Kerala districts where heavy rain flooded several low-lying areas and also predicted heavy downpours in several parts of Madhya Pradesh in the next 24 hours.
The cloudburst, flash floods and heavy rain wreaked havoc in Kangra and Kullu districts of the hill state on Wednesday. While the two bodies were recovered yesterday, the death toll climbed to four on Thursday after two more bodies were recovered from the Indira Priyadarshini Hydroelectric project site in Kangra district.
According to news agency PTI, the Kangra SP Shalini Agnihotri on Thursday said those killed had been identified as Chain Singh from Jammu and Kashmir, Aditya Thakur from Chamba, and Pardeep Verma and Chandan, both from Uttar Pradesh.
While several who are missing have been rescued, the authorities did not clarify the exact number of people saved or missing. The project work at the hydro project site had been suspended due to rain, and the workers were resting in the temporary shelters when the floodwaters from Manuni Khad and nearby drains diverted towards them, sweeping several away.
According to the officials, around 250-275 workers were present at the site after the incident on Wednesday night, who have been provided temporary shelter at the Ambedkar Bhawan in Khaniyara. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Commandant Baljinder Singh said that they are trying to trace the people who are feared to have been swept away from the project site during the floods. Flash floods were also reported from Manali and Banjar in the district.
Heavy rains caused massive damage in Sainj, Gadsa and Hornagad areas.
In Jammu and Kashmir, three people, including two children, died as flash floods triggered by cloudbursts and heavy rains hit different areas in Rajouri, Poonch, Doda and Kathua districts. Shaqafat Ali (14) and his cousin, Safeena Kousar (11), were grazing cattle when they were swept away by the flash floods in a riverlet in Rajouri.
According to PTI, flash floods due to cloudbursts were also reported from Qazi Mora in Poonch and different high-altitude areas of Doda, Udhampur and Ramban districts, but there was no report of any casualty. The administration, meanwhile, in several districts including Rajouri and Doda, has imposed a complete ban on swimming, bathing, fishing, and roaming near rivers, nallahs, and waterfalls and also prohibited school picnics. The weather office has forecast intermittent spells of light to moderate rain and thundershowers at many places, with the possibility of heavy rain at a few places in the Jammu division till Friday.
Alert Issued In Several Districts Of Kerala
The weather body has issued a ‘red alert’ for heavy rainfall in three districts – Idukki, Malappuram and Wayanad – and an ‘orange alert’ in seven others after the rise in water level of rivers and downpours led to flooding in some low-lying areas. According to PTI, heavy rains and strong winds brought down hoardings in several places, including the state capital, uprooted trees and disrupted normal life. The rise in water levels of rivers and heavy rains led to flooding of low-lying areas in Ernakulam, Thrissur and Idukki districts, displacing hundreds of people who were shifted to relief camps.
