New Delhi: Torrential rains, cloudbursts, and swollen rivers have wreaked havoc across several states in North India, leaving dozens dead and missing, displacing thousands, and prompting large-scale rescue operations. As of Saturday, authorities in Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and Telangana are grappling with devastation, while Delhi faces its wettest August in 15 years.
In Uttarakhand, at least six people have died and 11 are missing after relentless rain and a series of cloudbursts pounded Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Bageshwar, and Tehri districts on Friday, according to PTI. Search and rescue teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and District Disaster Response Force (DDRF) battled breached roads and treacherous terrain to reach stranded residents. With weather conditions improving on Saturday, operations are expected to gain momentum. Eleven districts in the state have issued travel advisories for pilgrims and tourists as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) maintains orange and red alerts for several areas.
Jammu and Kashmir, meanwhile, continues to recover from a deadly landslip on August 26 that claimed the lives of at least 34 Vaishno Devi pilgrims. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who chairs the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), announced a three-member panel to probe the tragedy on the yatra track near Adhkuwari in Reasi district. “The committee will investigate the causes behind the incident and suggest measures to prevent such tragedies in the future,” officials said.
Adding to the state’s woes, a fresh landslide in Mahore’s Badder village on Saturday left seven members of a family feared dead after their house was buried under debris. Rescue teams are combing the area for survivors.
Punjab is also reeling from flooding triggered by heavy rainfall in the catchment areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, swelling the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers. The body of a 40-year-old man, Buta Mohammad, who had been missing since Thursday, was found in the Beas river in Kapurthala district, police said. PTI reported that more than 7,600 people have been evacuated from inundated villages as multiple agencies coordinate relief efforts in affected regions.
Further south, Telangana Fire, Disaster Response, and Civil Defence teams rescued 1,646 people from flood-hit districts. In one dramatic operation, SDRF personnel from Nizamabad airlifted nine people trapped in vehicles by backwaters of the Kalyani Project in Kamareddy district.
In Delhi, Friday’s downpour of 56.2 mm of rain in just three hours left vast stretches of the capital waterlogged, paralysing traffic and causing a wall collapse in which three children were injured. The city has recorded 399.8 mm of rain so far this month, its wettest August in 15 years, according to IMD data. Officials are also on alert as the Yamuna river’s water level at the Old Railway Bridge rose to 205.22 metres on Saturday morning, just shy of the danger mark of 205.33 metres, with releases from the Wazirabad and Hathnikund barrages expected to push levels higher.
The IMD has issued a yellow alert for Jharkhand, warning of heavy rainfall accompanied by gusty winds of up to 40 km/h through September 2. Districts including Ranchi, Dhanbad, Hazaribagh, and East and West Singhbhum are expected to see significant downpours.
With the monsoon showing no sign of easing, disaster management agencies remain on high alert across multiple states. Authorities have urged people living in flood-prone regions to heed evacuation orders and advisories as rescue operations continue amid challenging conditions.
