Heavy Rainfall and Land Slides:
In Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, the relentless downpour and landslides have brought about widespread devastation. Over 9,000 houses in Himachal have suffered damage due to the rain-triggered landslides. The situation has compelled 11,000 people to leave their homes, while the unfortunate loss of 330 lives has been reported.
The root cause behind the mass displacement lies in the houses developing alarming cracks, with the soil beneath being eroded away by the force of the rains. This precarious situation has raised the specter of potential collapse, prompting individuals to abandon their residences. In some cases, people have even chosen to leave the state entirely, seeking refuge elsewhere.
As the crisis unfolds, 11 out of the 12 districts in Himachal Pradesh are grappling with the closure of 857 roads. Furthermore, critical infrastructure including 4,285 transformers and 889 water supply schemes remain paralyzed. The financial toll inflicted by the combined impact of rains, floods, flash floods, and land subsidence has been estimated at a staggering figure exceeding Rs 10,000 crore.
Rain alert for today in 17 states
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has issued a rain alert for today in 17 states, encompassing Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh among others. As if in synchronization with the warning, heavy rainfall deluged Delhi on a Saturday morning.
In Punjab, the situation has reached a critical point, with 7 districts reeling under floodwaters. The floodwaters have completely submerged the Indo-Pak border check post in Ferozepur district. The emergency evacuation of approximately 50 farmers was executed in response. The collapse of the RG bridge in Ferozepur has severed connections with 15 villages, prompting a rescue operation that has successfully saved 426 individuals from 4 affected villages. An alarming 50 villages in Ferozepur now find themselves at the mercy of the flooding.
The forecast for the next 24 hours indicates the following:
Intense Rainfall Expected In:
- Uttarakhand
- Madhya Pradesh
- Maharashtra
- Chhattisgarh
- Sikkim
- Assam
- Meghalaya
- Arunachal Pradesh
Moderate Rainfall Expected In:
- Uttar Pradesh
- Bihar
- Rajasthan
- Himachal Pradesh
- Telangana
- Andhra Pradesh
- Karnataka
- Gujarat
- Rajasthan
The heavy Rain in MP:
The weather situation elsewhere is equally concerning. In Madhya Pradesh, the monsoon continues to wreak havoc, with a rise in water levels observed in the Tawa Dam. An alert for heavy rain hangs over 28 districts, including major cities like Bhopal and Indore.
The impact of the rain has been felt across divisions such as Jabalpur, Shahdol, Rewa, Sagar, Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain, and Gwalior-Chambal. For the first instance in this year’s monsoon period, the Tawa Dam located in Narmadapuram has been compelled to initiate its gates’ opening on Saturday. Approximately 42,430 cubic feet per second (cusecs) of water is currently being discharged from the dam, with five gates being raised by up to five feet.
This action has been necessitated by the combined effects of robust rainfall within the catchment area and controlled water release from the Sarani Dam. Consequently, the water level within the Tawa Dam had surpassed 1163 feet by Saturday afternoon, inching closer to its maximum capacity of 1166 feet.
Intense rainfall across 28 districts:
An alert has been sounded for intense rainfall across 28 districts of the state on Saturday. Over the past two days, substantial precipitation has been observed in the Jabalpur, Shahdol, Rewa, and Sagar divisions within the eastern segment of Madhya Pradesh. This meteorological pattern is concurrently influencing districts in the western sector, including Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain, and Gwalior-Chambal divisions.
Dr. Vedprakash Singh, a prominent meteorologist, has indicated the formation of a low-pressure region in the northern expanse of the Bay of Bengal. This phenomenon has sparked heightened activity of eastern winds in Madhya Pradesh. The low-pressure system is anticipated to move towards Chhattisgarh, contributing to moderate to heavy rainfall across Ujjain, Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, and Chambal divisions in the western part.
Tawa Dam Gates Opened:
The opening of the Tawa Dam gates will notably impact the Narmada River. As water from the Tawa Dam flows into the Narmada River, water levels in Narmadapuram are anticipated to rise. This heightened flow will further extend to fill the Indira Sagar Dam located in Khandwa.
The ripple effect will extend to districts including Barwani, Dhar, Alirajpur, Harda, Dewas, Sehore, and Raisen. It takes approximately six hours for the water to reach Bandrabhan in Narmadapuram once the dam gates are unsealed, with water levels at Sethani Ghat starting to rise within six to seven hours.
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