Days after a cloudburst in Uttarkashi district swept away people and infrastructure in Uttarakhand, parts of India continue to face heavy rainfall. Hyderabad and places in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Tamil Nadu are reeling from disruptions due to rain and flooding. Here’s a roundup of the latest monsoon news across India.
In Munger, the Ganges’ water level has increased quickly, flooding villages in areas such as Sadar, Jamalpur and Asarganj. The Munger-Begusarai link road is two feet under water.
Meanwhile in Bhagalpur, waters from the Ganges have flooded a hostel, necessitating the evacuation of students. In Chapra, it emerged that a government primary school was fully submerged in floodwaters.
Finally in Buxar, the Ramdas Rai OP Police Station was flooded, with several police vehicles submerged as well.
From Uppal in the north to Serilingampally in the west, 16 locations in Hyderabad recorded over 10 cm of rain till 8 AM on Friday, August 8. The Gachibowli area recorded the highest—14 cm of rainfall.
The impact of the torrential downpour over 24 hours left citizens stranded and helpless as rain water rushed into apartment complexes flooding basements in Manikonda, roads turned into raging pools of water in Filmnagar and Krishnanagar, and marooned shops in Ameerpet area.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that on Friday, cloudy skies and a high probability of light to moderate rain or thunderstorms, particularly in the evening and night, are expected. Isolated intense spells may be accompanied by gusty winds reaching 30–40 kmph.
Both Hyderabad and Cyberabad traffic police were on high alert, issuing advisories and managing gridlock. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s Disaster Response Force teams worked to clear inundated streets, remove fallen trees and address snapped power lines.
As a precaution, one gate of the Himayath Sagar reservoir was opened to release excess water into the Musi River, following persistent rain in the catchment areas.
Rainy conditions will likely persist on Saturday, August 9, with showers forecast during the day and night. Temperatures are expected to hover around 27°C, with strong winds and a high chance of precipitation.
Authorities have urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel, as more water accumulation is expected in low-lying areas. People are advised to remain indoors during heavy spells and exercise caution while commuting.
The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has predicted heavy rainfall in the northern districts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, on Friday. Heavy intensity downpours are expected due to an upper air cyclonic circulation persisting over the southwest Bay of Bengal off North Tamil Nadu.
The affected districts include parts of Tiruvannamalai, Vellore and Tirupattur districts. Nine other districts, including Kallakurichi, Cuddalore, Chengalpattu and Kancheepuram will receive heavy rainfall on Friday.
The rainfall is set to cover northern Tamil Nadu over the week. Heavy rainfall would continue in districts like Dharmapuri, Vellore, Krishnagiri, Tirupattur and Tiruvannamalai on Saturday, said officials.
The heavy rainfall is forecasted to remain till August 13 and is expected to reduce rain deficit in northern districts like Krishnagiri, Kancheepuram and Dharmapuri.
Tamil Nadu has so far received a monsoon rainfall of 14.5 cm, which is seven per cent more than its seasonal average since June 1. The RMC considered this as normal seasonal rainfall. Tirunelveli, Coimbatore, Tenkasi and Mayiladuthurai are among the few districts that have received excessive rainfall so far this season.
Uttarakhand remains on edge as torrential monsoon rains continue to wreak havoc across the hill state. The IMD has issued a red alert for several districts, warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall till August 12.
Schools have been closed across the state as a precautionary measure, and authorities have advised residents to stay indoors.
Districts under the red alert include Pauri Garhwal, Tehri, Uttarkashi, Dehradun, Champawat, Udham Singh Nagar, Bageshwar and Nainital.
The evacuation of stranded pilgrims from areas around the disaster-hit Dharali village continued on Friday, with authorities focusing on rescue and relief operations via air as the Gangotri National Highway and several rural motor roads are damaged at a number of points.
Advanced equipment required to dredge through the mounds of debris in Dharali, in search of the missing, are being flown to the spot with the help of IAF’s Chinook and Mi-17 helicopters and those of Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Authority. Food supplies are also being sent to the affected areas in helicopters, officials said.
With roads breached at various points, the thrust is on air support, an NDRF official said.
Meanwhile in Kotdwar, National Highway 121 was totally washed away due to floods in the Kalghadi stream on the Kotdwar-Thalisain road, disrupting connectivity between Pabo and Paithani. Heavy rainfall has also laid waste to crops in many fields. In Phaludwari village, a cloudburst totally destroyed one house, although animals from some cowsheds were moved to safety.
In Pauri, it was reported that two women have lost their lives due to continuous rain. One woman died as she was buried under rubble in the Buransi village, and efforts are on to find another. Five Nepali workers have been washed away separately in Bankura village, Thalisain tehsil.
In Joshimath, a huge landslide has covered the Badrinath Highway at Jogidhara, leaving thousands of pilgrims stuck. In Joshimath's Narsingh Mandir Ward, subsidence of land caused the wall protecting the area to collapse, injuring two shops. Landslides occur on this site during the monsoon season every year, but safety measures have not yet been put in place.
In Udham Singh Nagar, houses in Chakarpur, Indira Colony and Rajiv Colony of Bajpur have been flooded. Relief and rescue operations are being carried out by administration, NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) and SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) personnel.
Schools in Lucknow up to Class 8 remained shut on Friday due to heavy rain and waterlogging. The order applies to schools affiliated with all boards in both urban and rural areas.
The District Magistrate’s office said the decision was taken following continuous heavy rain in the past few hours and a forecast for more rain by the IMD.
A heavy rain alert was in place for several districts, including Mahoba, Hamirpur, Fatehpur, Raebareli, Banda, Chitrakoot, Kaushambi, Pratapgarh, Prayagraj, Amethi, Sultanpur, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Jaunpur, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Mau, Azamgarh, Ballia, Ghazipur, Chandauli and Sonbhadra.
Light to moderate showers are forecast for Bareilly, Pilibhit, Hardoi, Lucknow, Shahjahanpur, Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Bahraich, Shravasti, Gonda, Barabanki, Ayodhya, Balrampur, Siddharthnagar, Basti, Ambedkar Nagar, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Gorakhpur and Sant Kabir Nagar, without any official warning in place.
In Prayagraj, low-lying regions have been inundated as the Ganges and Yamuna rivers overflow, compelling residents to move to the rooftops for refuge.
(With inputs from multiple news reports)