IMD Issues Heavy Rain Alert as Monsoon Disrupts Life in Uttarakhand, Himachal and Jammu & Kashmir

New Delhi: On Saturday, clouds rained heavily in many parts of the country. Once again the monsoon gained momentum and the situation worsened from the mountains to the plains. Uttarakhand and Himachal were worst hit. There was chaos due to a cloudburst in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

Where did it rain heavily?

According to IMD, yesterday maximum water fell in Himachal, Uttarakhand, Eastern UP and Meghalaya. Apart from this, good rains also occurred in Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, Western UP, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The Meteorological Department is saying that the same type of rain will continue at many places for the next 2-3 days.

What is the situation in Uttarakhand?

The mountains are cracking due to continuous rains in Uttarakhand.  About 120 roads including three national highways are closed. Connectivity to many villages has been lost. A portion of the Yamunotri Highway was washed away in the strong current. The road is closed for 2 days. Due to this reason many passengers were stuck midway.

How were the 100 stranded passengers evacuated?

So much debris came up in Syanachatti of Uttarkashi that the road was completely blocked. SDRF team immediately reached the spot. The soldiers made an alternative route in the mountain with the help of ropes. Then one by one about 100 pilgrims were taken out safely. A lot of precautions were taken in the entire exercise so that no untoward incident happens.

Why did the people of Delhi yearn for the rain?

When water was falling all over the country, there was only heat and humidity in Delhi. The mercury here reached 35.7 degrees on Saturday. Weathermen say that there will be clouds in the sky for the next few days, but there are no chances of heavy rain.

What happened if the clouds burst in Pahalgam?

On Saturday evening, there was sudden heavy rain in Pahalgam and upper areas of Anantnag. The Aavoora drain was suddenly filled with water. Around 6 hotels and many houses were affected in this flood. The administration immediately evacuated the tourists staying in hotels and sent them to other safe places. It is a matter of relief that till now there is no news of any death.

Was Amarnath Yatra affected?

The administration has clarified that the cloudburst incident has not affected the Amarnath Yatra. The journey is going on as before.