IMD Scientist had said that after August 25 there might be some relief for Himachal. (File photo: PTI)
Weather News Live Updates: At least 240 people have died in rain-related incidents in the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand
Heavy rains have been battering the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand causing landslides, floods, waterlogging and other damages. At least 240 people have lost their lives to rain-related incidents.
The 14th Battalion of the National Disaster Response Force rescued over 51 stranded people from cloudburst-hit sites in Kullu’s Mandi District. The Indian Meteorological Department had issued yellow alert for Himachal Pradesh till Friday, however, an IMD scientist said that from August 26 the state might experience some relief from the incessant rainfall.
LATEST UPDATES
– Himachal to Receive Light to Moderate Rains From Today, Says IMD Scientist
IMD Scientist Sandeep Kumar Sharma said that the weather will change from August 26, adding that, districts of plains and middle areas will receive light to moderate rains. He said that from June till August, Himachal has received 41 per cent more rainfall than usual.
“The recorded rainfall is 804mm, normal is 571 mm. Only Lahaul Spiti has received less rainfall than usual. August saw 10 per cent more rainfall than usual and the most was in Mandi and Bilaspur,” Sharma said.
– Death Better Than This Nightmare, Say Landslide Victims After Wrath of Rain in Himachal
Death would have been better than going through this nightmare with nowhere to go and no shoulder to cry on,” said Promila who lost everything when a room in a building she stayed in crumbled in a landslide in Shimla.
A landslide in the morning of August 23 damaged a building near Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital (IGMCH) where Promila stayed with her ailing mother.
Himachal Pradesh saw three major spells of heavy rains this monsoon. The first on July 9 and 10 led to large-scale destruction in Mandi and Kullu districts. Shimla and Solan districts were hit during the second spell on August 14 and 15 and Shimla city suffered heavy damage in the third spell on Tuesday night.
– Global Warming Behind Intense Rains, Suggest Scientists
At least 166 people have died in Himachal Pradesh and 74 in Uttarakhand this year since June as the states have been enduring landslides, flash-floods, and other rain-related incidents.
Head of IMD’s regional centre in New Delhi, Kuldeep Srivastava said, “Think of it as a collision of two forceful systems,” adding that, “it causes significant rain or even cloudbursts.. we are noticing in the last few years, intense spells of rain lasting short durations.” According to an AFP report, Srivastava said that this was due to climate change driven by global increase in temperatures.
Data from the weather office suggests that the number of very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall days per decade in the Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh (HP) and Uttarakhand increased to 118 between 2011 and 2020 from 74 in the preceding decade.
Roxy Mathew Koll, a scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology said that in the recent decades monsoon rainfall patterns across India have seen a climatic shift. “The most significant change is that instead of having moderate rains spread out through the monsoon season, we have long dry periods intermittent with short spells of heavy rains,” Koll added.
– NDRF Rescues 51 Stranded People in Mandi District
The 14th Battalion of NDRF rescued 51 people from cloudburst incident sites in Shehnu Gouni and Kholanala village in Himachal’s Mandi district on Thursday.
– Former CM Jairam Thakur Visits Landslide-Hit Areas on Thursday
Former CM Jairam Thakur visited landslide-affected areas of the Kuklah area on Thursday. He said, “Keeping in view the huge loss due to heavy rainfall in the state, I have visited my constituency. A two-storeyed school building collapsed today and almost all houses have become unsafe as they have developed cracks.”
– Over Eight Buildings Collapsed in Himachal’s Kullu
Over eight vacant buildings collapsed in Kullu’s Anni town on Thursday. The buildings, fortunately, were already vacated as they were declared unsafe by authorities due to the cracks on its walls. No casualties were reported from the scene.
