For Rain-Battered Uttarakhand, Himachal, Weather Office's Warning For More

The weather office today issued an Orange alert for the hill states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, which have seen large scale devastation and loss of life due to rain-related incidents in the last couple of months. 78 people have died in Uttarakhand and 338 in Himachal Pradesh in rain-related incidents since the onset of Monsoon this year.

The orange alert is issued as a warning of "extremely bad" weather with the potential of disruption in commute with road and rail closures, and interruption of power supply.

The Uttarakhand weather office has issued a yellow alert for Dehradun, Nainital, and Bageshwar. Heavy rains are likely in the state on August 22, it said. 

Yellow indicates severely bad weather spanning across several days. It also suggests that the weather could change for the worse, causing disruption in day-to-day activities.

Uttarakhand will see heavy to very heavy rainfall, with estimates ranging from 115.6 to 204.4 mm, on 21st, 22nd, 23rd, and 24th August, the Indian Meteorological Department has said.

78 people have died, 47 have been injured, and 18 people have been reported missing since the start of the Monsoon season in the state on June 15. 213 roads are shut due to debris and landslides.

"Himachal Pradesh is under an Orange Alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall with estimates ranging from 115.6 to 204.4 mm on 22nd, 23rd & 24th August," the Indian Meteorological Department posted on X today.

In Himachal Pradesh, after the tragic landslide in the Summer Hill area of the rain-battered Shimla district on August 14, security and disaster relief forces continued their search operation for the seventh consecutive day. The death count in Monday's temple collapse incident increased to 17 with rescue teams recovering one more body on Sunday.

 The death count in rain-related incidents in the state over the past week rose to 78 on Saturday with the recovery of another body from the debris of a collapsed temple here, officials said, according to news agency PTI. Since the onset of the monsoon in Himachal Pradesh on June 24, 338 people have died in rain-related incidents and road accidents in the state, while 38 people are missing, according to the state emergency operation centre.

Of the 338 deaths, 221 people have died in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh, it said.

Bharatiya Janata Party National President JP Nadda will visit Himachal Pradesh on Sunday to take stock of the devastation caused by heavy rains and floods in the state, an official statement said.

Incessant rain has led to landslides, cloudburst, and flash floods, causing significant damage in the State.

The government of Himachal Pradesh has declared the whole state as a 'natural calamity affected area'.

According to the latest information provided by the state government, the total monetary loss in Himachal has reached Rs 8,014.61 crore since June 24.

A total of 2,022 houses have been fully damaged, and 9,615 houses have been partially damaged, with 113 landslides occurring in this year's monsoon season.

Bihar has also been put under Orange Alert, with heavy rains predicted on August 23, and 24.