Commuters move on a waterlogged road amid rain, near Medcity Hospital, in Gurugram. Photo: PTI
Kerala roads still submerged, Himachal cut off as monsoon mayhem continues
Orange alerts in Kerala and Himachal as monsoon rains swamp roads, cripple supplies, and force relief camps, while Delhi logs wettest August week in 15 years
Heavy rain continued to affect several parts of the country on Saturday (August 8), with floodwaters in Kerala showing signs of gradual receding, while nearly 185 roads remained closed in Himachal Pradesh. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Kerala and Himachal Pradesh.
In Kerala, several roads and residential areas remain submerged across affected regions, forcing hundreds of people to continue taking shelter in relief camps. The Upper Kuttanad and Kuttanad areas of Alappuzha, along with parts of interior Kottayam, remained among the worst-hit regions.
Also read: Heavy rain triggers house collapse, tree fall calls in Delhi; traffic crippled
Key routes, including the Alappuzha-Changanassery road, continued to remain under water, affecting vehicular movement. Small boats were pressed into service to transport residents and move essential belongings out of waterlogged areas.
IMD forecast
In coastal areas, high waves, sea incursion and strong winds continue to keep fishermen off the sea. Sea conditions remain particularly rough at Uduma in Kasaragod, where several coconut trees were uprooted amid the strong winds and rough weather.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast moderate rainfall, accompanied by winds reaching up to 30 kmph, at isolated places in the Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki, Ernakulam, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod districts in the morning.
Light rainfall is likely at isolated places in the remaining districts, the IMD said. For Sunday (August 9), the IMD has issued an orange alert for Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod districts.
Roads closed up north
Up north, torrential rains have led to the closure of 185 roads in Himachal Pradesh, and the Shimla Met Office issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rains at isolated places in the state on Monday and Tuesday.
Also read: Met department forecasts below-normal rainfall in Aug-Sept, barring parts of India
A total of 92 roads were blocked in Mandi, followed by 48 in Kullu, 14 each in Chamba and Shimla, nine in Sirmaur, 5 in Kangra and 3 in Una district, officials said.
According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), 77 water supply schemes and 104 transformers were also disrupted on Saturday morning.
Since the monsoon began on June 30, 65 people have died in rain-related incidents so far, including 14 in landslides and one in flash floods. The state has suffered losses totalling Rs 834 crore, they said.
Delhi records wettest August first week
Delhi has recorded its wettest first week of August in 15 years, with the national capital receiving 127 mm of rainfall in the first seven days of the month as heavy showers continued through Friday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast very light to moderate rain in the city on Saturday and predicted similar weather conditions over the next few days. A yellow alert has been issued for Saturday, with light to moderate rainfall expected.
Several weather stations across Delhi recorded more than 100 mm of rain over the period. The rainfall recorded during the first week of August was the highest in the city since 2011, according to the IMD.
Highest rainfall
Heavy rainfall lashed several districts of Rajasthan during the past 24 hours as the monsoon remained active in the state. Thanagazi in Alwar recorded the highest rainfall of 93 mm, while Alwar, Bharatpur, Dausa, Khairthal-Tijara, Kotputli-Behror, Jhunjhunu, Churu and Didwana-Kuchaman districts also witnessed rainfall.
The Meteorological Centre said monsoon conditions are likely to remain active over most parts of eastern Rajasthan during the next one week and rainfall activity is expected to continue.
The centre forecast that moderate to heavy rainfall is very likely at some places in the Bharatpur, Jaipur, Kota, Ajmer and Udaipur divisions between August 8 and 10.
Also read: Heavy rain batters several states as IMD issues warning; 9 dead in UP
Rainfall activity is also expected to increase in parts of the Jodhpur and Bikaner divisions of western Rajasthan between August 8 and 10. It said rainfall activity is likely to decrease over most parts of the state starting August 15.
Amarnath Yatra suspended
Meanwhile, the Amarnath Yatra has once again been suspended from Jammu amid inclement weather, a forecast of heavy rain over the next few days and a decline in pilgrim arrivals, officials said.
No fresh batch of pilgrims was allowed to leave the Bhagwati Nagar base camp for the Kashmir Valley this morning, they said.
Officials said the administration is monitoring the situation and will review the movement of pilgrims based on the weather and the condition of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country.
Also read: Heavy rains lash Jammu; all major pilgrimages suspended for third day
More than 4.75 lakh pilgrims have so far visited the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine of Amarnath in the Kashmir Himalayas since the Yatra began on July 3. The 57-day pilgrimage is scheduled to conclude on August 28, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan.
According to an advisory issued by the local Meteorological Department, heavy to very heavy rain is likely at isolated places in the Jammu region, with the possibility of flash floods and landslides till August 11.
Assam still critical
The flood situation in Assam remains grim as well, with the death toll rising to 98, even as the number of affected districts declined to 13 and the number of people impacted by the deluge came down to 1.55 lakh, according to an official bulletin.
Thirteen districts—Sivasagar, Golaghat, Nagaon, Hojai, Sonitpur, Dhemaji, Darrang, Biswanath, Kamrup (M), Lakhimpur, Udalguri, Jorhat and Charaideo—continue to remain affected by floodwaters, impacting 33 revenue circles and 464 villages.
The total affected population in the state stood at 1,55,849 on Friday, with Golaghat being the worst-hit district, where 58,750 people remained affected, followed by Sivasagar (48,286) and Jorhat (25,259).