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 ₹ 3,000 crore and ₹ 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.