Heavy rains and landslides: The country is in the grip of heavy rains and natural disasters these days. On Thursday, the situation worsened due to continuous torrential rains in the northern states. Himachal Pradesh has been battling disaster since the beginning of the monsoon, while flood-like conditions have arisen in Delhi after the water level of the Yamuna River rose above the danger mark. A large part of the country, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, is suffering from floods and rains.
One person died in a landslide incident in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, while six people are still missing. Two houses were hit by debris due to a landslide in the Inner Akhara Bazaar area of Kullu at around 7:30 am on Thursday. Of the 10 people buried under the debris, three were evacuated safely, but one died, and the search for the remaining six is on. Earlier on Wednesday, there was a landslide in Kullu, in which two people went missing.
A landslide also occurred at the Ratle Hydroelectric Project site in the Drabshalla area of the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir. Five people were buried under the debris in this accident, who were immediately rescued by the local administration, police, and Red Cross teams. However, work has been affected there since the accident. At the same time, incidents of land subsidence and stone falling have also been reported in many other areas of Kishtwar.
Heavy rains and landslides have also disrupted life in Arunachal Pradesh. Road traffic has been completely disrupted due to landslides at five places here. Due to this, local people and travelers are facing a lot of trouble.
The situation has worsened due to rain in Punjab and Haryana as well. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan reached Amritsar and Gurdaspur on Thursday and took stock of the flood-affected areas. He said that the situation in Punjab is like a deluge, but the central government is standing with the state in this hour of crisis. Chandigarh has recorded 20.4 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, causing waterlogging in many parts of the city.
The Meteorological Department has warned that the situation may worsen in the coming days. Orange and yellow alerts have been issued for Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, northeastern states, and many parts of South India. Red alert has been declared for Gujarat, Kutch, and the Saurashtra region till September 7. At the same time, heavy rains have been predicted in many districts of Rajasthan and Uttarakhand till September 8.
The flood has also caused heavy damage in the border areas of Jammu and Punjab. About 110 km long, the fence has been damaged in the areas bordering Pakistan. Apart from this, about 90 posts of the Border Security Force (BSF) have been completely submerged. This has also affected the security arrangements on the border.
Rain is still continuing in many parts of India, and the administration is engaged in relief and rescue work. After the warning issued by the Meteorological Department, people are being advised to be cautious and stay in safe places.