Officials reported that flooding in northern India resulted in the deaths of at least five individuals on Wednesday, with further thunderstorms anticipated. Local media indicated that 10,000 people have been relocated from the river banks in the capital, Delhi.
This year’s monsoon season in India has been especially severe, resulting in the deaths of at least 130 individuals in August alone in northern India, obliterating villages and damaging infrastructure. The recent floods have affected Indian-administered Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Punjab, causing the Chenab and Tawi rivers to exceed the danger level in multiple areas.
The rising rivers have caused landslides and harmed numerous roads, isolating sections of the hilly areas of Jammu and Himachal from the remainder of India. Officials reported that on Wednesday, landslides hit the Rajouri and Mandi districts in Jammu and Himachal Pradesh, resulting in at least five fatalities.
The India Meteorological Department cautioned of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in the area on Wednesday, with additional showers anticipated in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. The Central Water Commission reported that the rising Yamuna had surpassed its danger level on Tuesday in Delhi.
Local news sources indicated that approximately 10,000 individuals were relocated to relief centers established by the authorities along major roads as a precautionary action for residents in flood-prone regions. In 2023, residents near the Yamuna in Delhi were evacuated as floodwaters flooded their homes, causing the river to reach its highest level in 45 years.
Numerous tourist destinations in Himachal Pradesh have experienced landslides in the past few weeks, with floodwaters destroying infrastructure. Authorities announced the closure of educational institutions and advised individuals to stay indoors because of flood alerts In nearby Punjab, authorities reported that 30 individuals have died and almost 20,000 have been forced to evacuate since August 1.
Water flowing across the fields in Punjab, India’s agricultural heartland, has devastated 150,000 hectares of crops, the government reported on Tuesday. Ongoing rainfall led officials to discharge water from dams, resulting in flooding in low-lying areas in India and Pakistan recently.
Pakistani officials issued a warning for additional floods in the eastern province of Punjab on Wednesday, following India’s notification that it would discharge water from its dams downstream, authorities reported.
Officials stated that New Delhi has issued four similar warnings to Islamabad in the past.
In Punjab, the deadliest floods in 40 years have claimed at least 43 lives, impacting over 3.3 million individuals since August 26, reported the provincial disaster management authority. The National Disaster Management Authority reports that the death toll nationwide since the beginning of the monsoon season in late June has reached 881.
