Himachal Rain Updates: Himachal Pradesh has been the worst-hit in this monsoon mayhem.
Rains for a fourth consecutive day led to several deaths, landslides, and destruction across North India. The scale of the damage in the entire region has been captured in visuals of bridges being swept away, boulders tumbling down hills due to rain-induced landslides, and vehicles swallowed by the gushing waters.
Himachal Pradesh has been the worst hit with the torrential rains turning roads to rivers and rivers to angry seas washing away everything on its path - cars, houses, or bridges.
The death count in Himachal Pradesh has gone up to 31, while the neighbouring Uttarakhand has reported five rain-related deaths, while Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan reported one death each.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu conducted an aerial survey on Tuesday of the Kasol, Manikaran, Kheer Ganga, and Pulga areas. In Kull's Sainj area alone, around 40 shops and 30 houses were washed away, he said, as he interacted with people in a relied camp in Kullu.
The loss of infrastructure in the state is estimated at between Rs 3,000 crore and Rs. 4,000 crore.
Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan have been receiving "heavy to extremely heavy" rainfall over the last four days. This has flooded rivers, creeks, and drains, which has massively damaged infrastructure and disrupted essential services in the states.
The weather department has issued a red alert for Himachal Pradesh and three districts in Uttarakhand today. Uttarakhand authorities have urged people to not travel to the state till Thursday.
In the national capital, the Yamuna river has risen to the highest recorded level in 10 years and is expected to rise further.
According to the Central Water Commission's (CWC) flood-monitoring portal, the water level at the Old Railway Bridge in New Delhi crossed 207 metres at 5 am on Wednesday. The increase in water level is a result of Haryana releasing more water into the river from the Hathnikund barrage.
Delhi recorded a rapid increase in the Yamuna water level over the last two days. It shot up from 203.14 metres at 11 am on Sunday to 205.4 at 5 pm on Monday, breaching the danger mark of 205.33 metres 18 hours earlier than expected.
Sixteen control rooms have been set up to monitor the flood-prone areas and the water level of the Yamuna. More than 50 motorboats have been deployed for rescue-and-relief operations, and diving and medical teams have been readied with all the necessary materials and equipment.