Incessant rains battered North India, claiming several lives in rain-related incidents, as well as leading to waterlogging in several places. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the rains lashed the northern parts of the country due to the interaction of a Western Disturbance and monsoonal winds.
The Met office has issued a warning of isolated extremely heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand throughout Sunday. Heavy to very heavy rain is predicted in isolated areas of Jammu and Kashmir until Monday, and in eastern Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Punjab until Sunday.
Rain batters Delhi
National capital Delhi witnessed the season’s first very heavy rain and the highest in a day in 20 years on Saturday. Several important road stretches were waterlogged and traffic congestion was witnessed in several parts.
A 58-year-old woman died coming under the debris of a ceiling of a Tibbia College Society flat in Karol Bagh, that collapsed Saturday morning apparently due to heavy rain, reports PTI. The victim has been identified as Ranjeet Kaur.
According to Delhi government officials, there was more than 100 mm rain in a single day, which is 15 per cent of the total rainfall the city gets every monsoon.
Due to waterlogging at the Tilak bridge underpass and Minto Bridge, heavy traffic snarls were witnessed at Vikas Marg, from Laxmi Nagar to ITO.
4 killed in Rajasthan
Meanwhile, in Rajasthan, four were killed in rain-related incidents in the last 24 hours, after heavy to very heavy rain lashed several districts of the state.
A man and a woman died due to lightning in Chittorgarh while two men got drowned in two separate incidents in Sawai Madhopur, the police said on Saturday. The deceased have been identified as Heeralal Bhil of Samelia Majra village and Kesar Bai of Palkhedi village.
In Sawai Madhopur district, Brahm Gurjar of Salempur village drowned in a waterlogged railway underpass in Gangapur City on Saturday. On Friday evening, Ramprakash Gurjar drowned while bathing in the Isarda dam.
The Met department has predicted very heavy rainfall in Rajsamand, Jalore and Pali districts on Sunday. Heavy rainfall has been forecast for Ajmer, Alwar, Banswara, Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Bundi, Chittorgarh, Dausa, Dhaulpur, Dungarpur, Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, Karauli, Kota, Pratapgarh, Sawai Madhopur, Sikar, Sirohi, Tonk, Udaipur, Barmer, Jodhpur and Nagaur districts.
Incessant rains in Kashmir
Heavy to very heavy rain continued in many parts of Kashmir for the second day on Saturday. Some places witnessed a record rainfall over a 24-hour period in the month of July.
Meanwhile, the water level in the Jhelum river and its tributaries rose rapidly over a few hours due to heavy rainfall. The water in some of the water bodies was flowing close to the flood-alert level at many places, officials said.
A few areas in the higher reaches, including near the Amarnath cave shrine, experienced snowfall. The annual Amarnath Yatra was suspended for the second consecutive day on Saturday following incessant rains and landslides, leaving thousands of pilgrims stranded in Jammu and at various places en route to the cave shrine.
Red alert for Himachal Pradesh
The IMD has issued a “red” alert for seven Himachal Pradesh districts for Sunday, as landslides and flash floods blocked several roads in Shimla, Sirmaur, Lahaul and Spiti, Chamba and Solan districts.
The Manali-Leh national highway was blocked following the flooding of the Teiling nallah about a kilometre away from the Atal Tunnel. Roads were also blocked following flash floods in the Madrang nallah and Kala nallah in Udipur in Lahaul and Spiti district.
(With agencies input)