All schools closed in Shimla today

All educational institutions in Shima will remain closed on Thursday due to frequent landslides that have blocked roads.

The state administration has urged the federal government to declare Himachal Pradesh a national disaster.

More rainfall in Himachal than season’s average

Himachal Pradesh had already received more rainfall than the average for the season by August. This year, the state received 742mm of rainfall during the monsoon’s 54 days, compared to the seasonal average of 730mm. This July’s rainfall in the state eclipsed all previous records for the month, resulting in the most devastating natural disaster of the last 50 years.

Himachal Pradesh rain: Indiscriminate construction to be blamed, says CM

As cited by Indian Express, the chief minister stated that the landslides were caused by faulty structural design and indiscriminate construction work carried out by architects from outside the region who were unaware of scientific methods of building in the highlands. The chief executive officer added that old, multi-story government buildings are standing tall without ever being in peril.

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10 killed in Uttarakhand rain, landslide

Since Monday, the administration in Rudraprayag has rescued 293 pilgrims who were stranded on the trek route to the Madmaheshwar temple due to the torrential rains in Uttarakhand.

On Monday, a landslip struck Lakshman Jhula, burying six persons at the Night Paradise Camp resort in the Lakshman Jhula region.

Punjab’s Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Rupnagar worst-hit by flooding

Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, and Rupnagar in Punjab were flooded as a result of the Bhakra and Pong dams releasing excess water. The Gurdaspur district administration declared holidays for government and private schools in flood-affected villages until further notice, while the Rupnagar district administration declared August 17-18 holidays for schools and Anganwadi centres in the affected areas.

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The deputy commissioner of Kinnaur, Tarul Raveesh, stated that the flash flood caused the nullah to overflow, causing extensive damage to the adjacent fields and orchards. The magnitude of the loss is currently being evaluated.

572 houses destroyed due to rain

Another flash deluge struck the popular tourist destination of Narkanda in the Shimla district, Ryogh village.

Deputy commissioner Aditya Verma stated that while there were no fatalities, trees and pastures were damaged by the flooding.

Since July 9, the state has been dealing with persistent rainfall, resulting in the closure of 686 roads. According to him, the functionality of 1,138 transformers and 315 water distribution systems has been compromised.

572 homes have been completely devastated and 4,703 others have sustained partial damage in the state due to the monsoon. Included among the affected properties are 148 stores and 1,286 cowsheds.

Yellow warning issued

The meteorological office has issued a yellow warning until July 24, indicating the possibility of torrential rain in isolated areas. The office warned residents of the districts of Chamba, Mandi, Kullu, Shimla, and Sirmaur about the possibility of sudden flooding.

ALSO READ : Delhi floods during heavy rains.

Narkanda received 87 millimetres of precipitation, while Shillaro in Shimla received 86 millimetres, Karsog 38.5 millimetres, Bharmour 38 millimetres, Sarahan 35 millimetres, and Jubbarhatti 34 millimetres.

The state government has dispatched rescue and relief teams whose primary objectives are clearing the blocked roads, rehabilitating the displaced, and assessing the damage to infrastructure and property.

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“One person was killed, three others were injured, and nine vehicles were damaged when a cloud burst in the Kias village of Kullu,”

Himachal Pradesh rainfall has caused extensive destruction in the hill state, resulting in cloudbursts, landslides, and floods that have claimed 108 lives as of last week’s official report.

Himachal Pradesh is the most severely affected state in North India, prompting Union Home Minister Amit to authorise the advance release of the second installment of the central share of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) in the amount of 180.40 crore.

Eleven squads of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed for rescue operations in Himachal Pradesh, along with rescue boats and other necessary equipment.

In addition, one Column of 1 PARA SF and 205 Army Aviation Squadron have been deployed for civil evacuation at Paonta Sahib. “Two MI-17V5 helicopters have been deployed for an evacuation mission.”

Sunday, the IMD issued a red alert for a number of areas in Himachal Pradesh, indicating that heavy precipitation is expected to persist for the next couple of days.

Sunday afternoon, the Met department tweeted, “OrangeAlert: HimachalPradesh and Uttarakhand are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall (115.6 to 204.4 mm) on July 16 and July 17.”

IMD Shimla added, “Moderate to high risk of flash flooding in a few watersheds and neighbourhoods of Chamba, Kangra, Sirmaour, Shimla, and Kullu districts through July 17.”

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Numerous landslides have blocked roads and left many people isolated as a result of heavy rainfall in northern India. Thousands have been rescued in recent days by NDRF teams and other disaster management personnel as floodwaters have entered low-lying areas.

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The rivers comprising the Yamuna river system swelled to unprecedented levels, according to rainfall data from areas that drain into the Yamuna. Between July 8 and 10, the Himachal Pradesh districts of Sirmaur and Shimla, which are major Yamuna catchment areas via the Giri and Pabbar rivers, received over 200 millimetres of rain, which is double the normal amount. The Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand, where the Yamuna begins at the Yamunotri glacier, received 133% more precipitation than usual between July 6 and July 12. The Dehradun district, which contributes water to Yamuna via lesser rivers such as Asan, Sunheri, Pabbar, and Aglar, received 139% more rainfall than usual between July 6 and July 12.

All of this resulted in a sharp increase in water flow at the Hathinikund barrage between July 10 and 11, compelling Haryana to open the sluice gates. The barrage, constructed in 1996 and put into operation in 1999 to supersede Tajewala, which was constructed in 1873, is located in Yamunanagar, in northern Haryana, and has ten main gates. At 2 p.m. on July 10, the water flow was 2.13 million cusecs, and it peaked at 3.59 million cusecs at 11 a.m. on July 11.

Since then, the water flow has decreased steadily; it was 61,019 cusecs at 6 p.m. on Thursday, leading to the closure of the gates at 6 p.m. on Thursday, which officials say will provide significant respite to several districts in Haryana and Delhi. The reopening of the gates will depend on the water flow from Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, they said.

The average water discharge at the barrage in July is approximately one million cusecs per second.

The Chief Minister of Delhi sent a letter to the Union Government on Wednesday, blaming the water from the barrage for the deteriorating situation in Delhi. The water level in the Yamuna in Delhi is rising not because of rainfall in Delhi, but because of water discharged from the Hathinikund barrage in Haryana.” He requested that Union Home Minister Amit Shah limit the rate of water discharge so that “the Yamuna level in Delhi does not rise further.”

The issue was that a barrage cannot accomplish this. The Delhi chief minister himself admitted as much much later in the evening, when he said he received a phone call from Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who informed him that Hathinikund was “just a barrage” and lacked a water storage reservoir. The discharge of water from Himachal Pradesh has decreased, and the situation will improve. But it will take time for the Yamuna’s water level to reflect this,” Kejriwal said at a Thursday evening press conference.

Officials stated that heavy precipitation in areas of the Yamuna river system downstream of the barrage contributed to the inundation in Delhi. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), between July 6 and July 12, Yamunanagar received 400.6 mm of precipitation, which is nearly six times the average for that period, while Karnal received 186.2 mm, which is three times the average. Panipat received 131.3 mm of precipitation, four times the average amount.

This also caused several local monsoon-fed rivers, such as the Somb and Pathrala, which originate in the Shivalik highlands, to overflow their banks. A senior government official from Haryana stated, “It played a crucial role in the rapid increase of Yamuna water.”

Himanshu Thakkar, an independent expert who has conducted extensive research on river systems, remarked, however, that inadequate management of the Yamuna was one of the primary causes of the flooding in Delhi. “The peak flow of water from Hathinikund on July 11 was less than in 1978, 2019 and 2012-13, when it reached up to 9 lakh cusecs, indicating that the rains in the hills may have played only a minor role.” It is primarily due to what is occurring in and around Delhi’s Yamuna floodplains, he explained. In 1978, water flow was regulated by the Tajewala barrage, which was superseded by the Hathanikund barrage.

Thakkar noted that the effluent dumped into the river and the prevalent sand mining along its banks have diminished the Yamuna riverbed’s capacity to absorb water. Due to deforestation along flood basins and the disappearance of water bodies, there is very little flushing of water.

Officials in Haryana expect the water flow in the Hathinikund barrage to increase over the next two days, but remain encouragingly below the levels of July 11. After Tuesday’s lack of precipitation, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand’s Yamuna catchment areas received additional precipitation on Wednesday and Thursday. Thursday morning at 8.30 a.m., Dehradun received 62 millimetres of precipitation, 220% more than normal. IMD has issued an orange alert for Friday for Himachal and Uttarakhand and a red alert for Saturday and Sunday.

ALSO READ : Yamuna water level unchanged for hour following four-day rise.

According to officials, it typically takes between 24 and 48 hours for rainwater from these two states to reach the plains. An official stated, “However, we do not anticipate a repeat of the June 11 situation in Delhi because there is very little precipitation downstream of Hathinikund.” Despite a potential increase in flow from Hathinikund, a second official from the Central Water Commission expects the water level in the Yamuna in Delhi to fall below 208 metres by Friday evening, given the absence of localised sources of rainfall.

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The Indian Meteorological Department has predicted that the wet phase will continue until June 4. “An orange alert has been issued for thunderstorms, lightning, hailstorms, and winds gusting to 40 kilometers per hour,” said Surender Paul, director of the IMD centre in Shimla.

In the month of May, the nighttime temperature in Shimla fell by more than five degrees to 9.9°C, the lowest in the past 14 years. In May 2009, the nighttime temperature in the state capital dropped below this level for the last time.

The cold weather compelled people to don woolens, particularly students, office workers, and vacationers.

The statewide minimum temperature dropped by 3°C to 7°C. Nahan, which is typically one of the hottest cities in Himachal Pradesh during the summer months of May and June, recorded the largest drop of 6.5°C.

Keylong was the coolest at 5°C, followed by Narkanda at 6.4°C and Kukumseri at 6.6°C. Kalpa was the warmest at 7°C, followed by Kufri at 7.7°C, Dalhousie at 10.5°C, Palampur at 13.5°C, and Dharamshala at 24.4°C.

ALSO READ :After 38 °C high, Delhi gets little rain.

According to data from the meteorological office, the state has experienced 325 percent more rainfall than normal over the past week. In the seven days leading up to May 30, it received an average of 54.9 millimeters of precipitation, compared to the average of 12.9 millimeters. This month, the state received 109.8 mm of rainfall as opposed to the average of 61.2 mm.

Since Monday night, Jubbarhatti has received the most precipitation with 42.4mm, Mandi 36.4mm, Nahan 39.8mm, and Solan 34.2mm. Dharamshala received 33 millimeters of precipitation, Shimla 32.2 millimeters, Chamba 27.5 millimeters, Mashobra and Narkanda 26 millimeters, Dhaulakuan 25 millimeters, and Bharmour 20 millimeters.

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