North India Rain Highlights: More Showers Predicted Across States

A total of 730 girl students of a residential school in Haryana's Ambala City were shifted to Kurukshetra after floodwaters entered their hostel complex following a beach in the Ghaggar river, officials said on Tuesday.

Chaman Vatika Gurukul principal Sonali said the students were shifted on Monday evening after the water level in the hostel reached two or three feet.

She said assistance was taken from the Army and the police to evacuate the students, she said on Tuesday.

The principal said the students have been shifted to an institute in Kurukshetra. They will return as soon as the situation normalises, she added.

As rains pounded Himachal Pradesh for the third consecutive day on Monday, leading to widespread flooding and causing damage to life and property, a video has emerged in which a truck can be seen being washed away by the heavy flow of the swollen Beas River.

The India Meteorological Department said that the intense spell of rains over the hill state is likely to decrease from tomorrow.

As per IMD, it had given a warning for extremely heavy rainfall and issued red alerts in Himachal Pradesh.

A blame game started on Tuesday even as people were plagued by multiple problems due to the heavy rain over the weekend, with Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena saying the city faced the "annual ritual" of waterlogging as drains were not properly cleaned, prompting a sharp reaction from the AAP government.

Delhi Water Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj slammed the LG, saying he is blaming the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government even though he had earlier claimed that the drains were desilted and the Yamuna was cleaned.

Taking stock of the rising water level of the river at the Yamuna Bazar area, Saxena said preparations should have been made beforehand to deal with the unprecedented rain.

Heavy rain across north India over the last three days has led to several deaths in landslides and other rain-related incidents. The weather office said that the unprecedented rainfall is due to the confluence of a western disturbance and monsoonal winds.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy, very heavy, and extremely heavy rainfall in 23 states in the country. A red alert has been issued in Uttarakhand while extremely heavy rainfall is expected in West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Meghalaya.

Waterlogging in Delhi amid monsoon fury in north India has become the latest flashpoint for a war of words between the centre-appointed Lieutenant Governor and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.

Following an inspection of the affected areas this morning, Lt Governor VK Saxena alleged that lack of preparation led to flooding in the national capital. "Waterlogging has become an annual ritual. The necessary preparations were not done and that led to this situation. I will try to ensure that this does not happen again," Mr Saxena told the media following the inspection. Read more

Traffic disrupted near India Gate as road caves in

A portion of a road caved-in near Sher Shah road here on Tuesday morning, leading to traffic congestion at India Gate C-Hexagon, the traffic police said.

Delhi has been witnessing rainfall for the last three consecutive days causing waterlogging and traffic congestion in several parts.

Orange alert for Uttarakhand: Chief Minister says state "on full alert"

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday said that the state administration is on full alert mode in view of the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) heavy rainfall alert in the region.

Talking about the precautionary arrangement made in the state, CM Dhami said, "Every year during monsoon time here, we have to face natural calamities. There are landslides due to excessive precipitation, and the water level of the rivers increases. We are in full alert mode. All the officials of the district administration and those in our disaster management are doing their work. All of them have been asked to stay in alert mode to face any situation. Our other organizations are also working on this. NDRF, Army, and our PWD department are all ready to face any situation and we are constantly in touch with the people to help them in any situation."

Heavy rain continued to batter Himachal Pradesh, leading to the deaths of 30 people and causing damage worth ₹ 3,000 crore. The state capital Shimla reported the highest number of casualties with 11 dead. 

According to the police, 29 of the 30 dead have been identified. 

Over 500 tourists are stranded in Chandertal, Pagal Nallah, and other places in Lahaul and Spiti after rain-induced landslides cut off access to the areas. According to officials, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescued 515 labourers stranded in a waterlogged slum in Una district. Read here 

A flood-like situation was seen at a private housing colony located in Punjab's Dera Bassi, where boats and tractors were used to rescue locals stuck in their houses following the incessant rain.  

 The rail traffic over the old Yamuna bridge in the national capital was temporarily suspended on Tuesday as the water level crossed the danger mark in the Yamuna due to heavy downpour over the past few days, officials said.

The official informed that the traffic was suspended since 6.00 am today.

"Rail traffic over the old Yamuna bridge, temporarily suspended since 06.00 a.m today--July 11," Northern Railways informed.

The water level in Yamuna River touched 206. 24 meters, slightly above the danger mark of 205.33 meteres, Central Water Commission today.

Heavy rain across north India has brought the region to its knees, causing widespread damage and claiming more than 37 lives over the past three days.

In Delhi, the Yamuna, which breached the danger mark of 205.33 metres late last evening, shot up to 206.24 this morning - as Haryana released more water into the river from the Hathnikund barrage.

Officials said the river breached the warning mark earlier than expected.

The authorities have started evacuating people from the low-lying areas that are considered vulnerable to flooding. They will be shifted to relief camps and community centres in various parts of the city.