Monsoon Menace: How record-breaking rain is wreaking havoc across north India

Mother Nature unleashed her fury on Sunday, leaving north India, including the capital of the country, in a watery mess. Heavy downpour lashed Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab and Delhi, which recorded its highest rainfall in a single day in July since 1982.

Scenes of chaos were witnessed all over the North – vehicles floating away like paper boats, muddy water gushing into residential and other areas, structures like temples being submerged on the banks of swollen rivers and land cave-ins.

Such was the ferocity of the rain that 18 people died in rain-related incidents. And if one thought that the weekend was the worst of it, think again. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued heavy downpour warnings for certain areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh.

We take a closer look at just how damaging was the rain and what’s in store for the North over the next few days.

A downpour unlike any other

According to the IMD, the Sunday rain exceeded 200 mm, leading to several states being put on a red alert. In fact, the Safdarjung observatory in Delhi recorded 153 mm rainfall on Saturday – its highest-ever in July in 41 years.

Explaining why the rain was so vigorous, the IMD said, “There has been a strong interplay between an active western disturbance over the Himalayas and a vigorous monsoon leading to extremely heavy rains over major parts of the region.”

News18 has reported that these western disturbances are rainy systems originating in the Mediterranean region, which impact the western Himalayas and bring rain.

Furthermore, the monsoon trough, which is essentially an elongated low-pressure area, has been active with its western end being south of its normal position. There is also a cyclonic circulation over central Rajasthan, all of which together have contributed to heavy rains.

Weather experts have forecast that the heavy rainfall will decrease over north India after 11 July and it will then move eastwards, bringing heavy showers to the east. The movement of the system has been slow, as it continues its interaction with monsoonal winds.

Monsoon mayhem

But how severe was the rainfall over the weekend? Delhi recorded a whopping 153 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, making it the highest amount of rain that the national capital has received in decades.

Normal life was brought to a standstill and roads and houses across areas such as Lajpat Nagar-1, Som Bazar, Najafgarh, Mayur Vihar Phase-3, Okhla Marg, and Model Town all reported heavy waterlogging.

Schools in the Delhi-NCR region have been ordered to stay shut while many companies in Gurugram and the area have asked employees to work from home.

The nation’s capital also recorded two deaths owing to rain-related incidents. A 30-year-old woman died in north Delhi’s Subzi Mandi after a wall collapsed while an auto driver died in Rohini after a tree fell on his vehicle following heavy rain.

Five other people were injured in separate incidents, police said, all caused by the record-breaking downpour the city saw during the day.

The Central Water Commission (CWC) said that the water level in the Yamuna river in Delhi is rising and is expected to breach the danger mark of 205.33 metres on Tuesday, causing more worry to the locals.

The torrential rainfall also led to people expressing their dismay and anger at the capital’s poor drainage system. Several people expressed their anger at the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for the situation, forcing the chief minister to cancel leaves of all staff and ask them to report to work.

In Haryana, the situation was no better with several areas complaining of massive waterlogging and flooding, prompting authorities to swing into action in the worst-hit places. A flood control room has been established amid three rivers Markanda, Ghaggar and Tangri flowing close to the danger mark.

Another death was also reported from Gurugram’s Gairatpur Bas village wherein a man drowned in a pond.

The monsoon fury in Himachal Pradesh led to landslides, killing five people and prompting authorities to issue a red alert of extremely heavy rains for 10 districts. Reports state that the hilly state saw 13 landslides and nine flash floods owing to the heavy rain. Moreover, 736 roads have reportedly been closed for traffic. Trains between Shimla and Kalka track have also been cancelled by the authorities.

Three family members died after a house collapsed in Shimla’s Kotgarh area, whereas another perished when a makeshift house was damaged in a landslide in Kullu town. A landslide in Chamba led to the death of a fifth person, while The Quint has reported another three deaths after a car was swept away in a landslide in the Tehri Garhwal district.

Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu also tweeted, “I appeal to everyone not to go nearby any rivers or water bodies because there is a chance of further heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours… everyone must be cautious and we have instructed the administration as well to take all the precautions and alert the people.”

The authorities have also ordered the closure of all schools and colleges in the area for two days – Monday and Tuesday.

Neighbouring Uttarakhand also witnessed heavy downpour, with three pilgrims drowning in the Ganga after their jeep fell into the river amid a landslide near Gular on the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway.

Jammu and Kashmir also witnessed heavy rain, with the water level in the Jhelum river and its tributaries rising rapidly. However, the Amarnath Yatra, which had been suspended owing to bad weather, resumed through the Pahalgam route, allowing over 6,000 pilgrims to offer prayers.

Punjab was also battered by heavy rainfall with areas like Mohali, Rupnagar, Patiala, and Fatehgarh Sahib being most affected. News agency PTI has reported that the Punjab government has directed ministers, deputy commissioners, senior superintendents of police and other officials concerned to visit the affected areas and provide the required assistance to people.

Nearby Chandigarh was also drenched, receiving a record 325.5 mm level of rainfall between Saturday and Sunday morning, according to a report by Hindustan Times. It was reportedly the wettest day, as streets became waterlogged, trees were uprooted, and vehicles suffered damage.

Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan also witnessed widespread rainfall. In UP’s Kaushambi, a 10-year-old girl died when a tree branch fell on her house following heavy showers. In Muzaffarnagar, a woman and her six-year-old daughter were killed after the roof of their house collapsed due to heavy rain.

The rainfall over the weekend in the North has led to the region witnessing a 59 per cent excess, as per latest IMD data. The cumulative rainfall in the monsoon season has reached 243.2 mm, which is two per cent above the normal of 239.1 mm.

With inputs from agencies