Early arrival of monsoon is usually good news. But the whole of north India, particularly Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, the two Himalayan states, have been battered and ravaged by incessant showers, landslides and flash floods. Thousands are stranded in both these states.
Here are 10 developments in the story:
In Uttarakhand, 50 people have died and 60 others are missing after torrential rain washed away buildings and roads. Nearly 73,000 tourists, bound for Char Dhams or four holy places of pilgrimage in the hills, are stranded. The Army and paramilitary troops are leading efforts to rescue the pilgrims and scores of people from the rooftops of their flooded homes. The state government was readying food parcels and drinking water pouches to be air dropped to villages cut off after roads were washed away.
More than a dozen people died in the state's Rudraprayag district alone, while another 50 people were missing, said Amit Negi, an official in Uttarakhand. Vehicles were seen being washed away; a landslide buried a bus, killing four people and injuring 15 others in Almora district. (In pics: Rain storms through north India)
Three helicopters of the Air Force have reached Dehradun's Jolly Grant Airport for rescue operation; 12 disaster management teams are also there.
The National Highway leading up to Gangotri and Badrinath has been closed and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is constantly working to repair the road. In Badrinath, 10 buildings have been washed away while in Munsiyari the Kali Ganga river engulfed 400 houses. (Share your pictures and videos here)
The Ganga and all its major tributaries are flowing above the danger mark in Uttarakhand. In Garhwal district, a bridge on the Alakananda river, connecting Rudraprayag and Gaurikund, has been washed away. A large number of shrines, hotels, rest houses, shops and residential buildings close to the river have also caved in. "The situation is very grim. The meteorological office has predicted that the rain will continue for another three days at least," said government official Amit Chandola.
In neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, authorities said eight people have been killed in landslides and nearly 1,500 tourists are stranded. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, who was stuck in Sangla in Kinnaur district for more than 60 hours, was rescued today morning by a chopper. With the heavy rainfall stopping in the morning, authorities deployed a government chopper to ferry the tourists stranded across Kinnaur. (Read)
In Haryana, the water level in the Yamuna rose suddenly, leaving 22 people dead and 1,000 stranded. In Uttar Pradesh's Bijnor, 250 farmers were stranded after water was released on the Ganga upstream near Haridwar. Around 32 of them have been rescued.
In Delhi too, the Yamuna is flowing above the danger mark. The police have asked people living near Yamuna bank to vacate their houses. (Read) Heavy rain resulted in large traffic jams in many parts of the city and its suburbs yesterday. Water-logging, too, was reported in various parts of the city. Surprise showers had struck the national capital on Sunday, flooding the arrival halls in the international and domestic airports.
There is forecast for rain in Mumbai as well but so far the situation is normal. However, the city's municipal corporation has warned people not to leave home unless absolutely necessary.
Monsoon has brought bumper showers this year, with the country receiving a remarkable 68 per cent surplus rainfall till June 17, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has said. (Read)
