Relentless rain spell creates havoc in northern India

NEW DELHI: Northern India has been under heavy rainfall causing extensive landslides and flooding, affecting major cities and destroying infrastructure. Beas, Satluj, and other rivers are flowing way above the danger mark which has destroyed several key bridges and has cut off crucial road networks too. 

Himachal Pradesh has been worst hit – 17 people have died and an estimated loss to public and private property stands around ₹4,000 cr. Officials have stated that 4,686 transformers have been damaged leading to hundreds of villages and towns without any electricity. 

Several important connecting roads including Manali-Leh national highway have collapsed severing road connectivity to Lahaul-Spiti district and Ladakh.  More than 300 tourists and residents are stranded and efforts are underway to rescue them using helicopters. 

Punjab has reported three deaths with five districts being hit the hardest. Authorities have mobilised rescue operations in several areas including Mohali, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ropar, Jalandhar, and Patiala. 14 teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), two units of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and 12 columns of Army and Punjab Police personnel have been deployed to address the crisis.  The Chief Minister of Punjab Bhagwant Mann has announced a special assessment –‘Girdawari’, to evaluate crop loss as well as damage to livestock and houses.

Relentless torrential rain has also caused significant damage in Haryana as several rail routes, national highways, power stations, and bridges have been destroyed. The death toll in the state has risen to five with three children killed due to a landslide in Pinjore.

More than 50 trains have been canceled and diverted to various other routes including Kalka-Shimla, Ambala-Saharanpur, Chandigarh-Ambala, Chandigarh- Morinda and Nangal-Una due to landslides and flooding on the tracks.