Monsoon mayhem: Heavy rain brings landslides in Uttarakhand, flash floods in J&K Himachal hit by storms

MOnsoon rains continued to thong big parts of the rural area on lord's day with twinkle floods in Jammu & Kashmir; thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds in Himachal Pradesh; and landslides and other rain-related issues in Uttarakhand, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and local authorities said.Uttarakhand remained the worst hit among all states, with landslides, road blockages swelling of rivers and infrastructure damage across several districts, prompted the state administration to intensify emergency response measures.At least 69 roads remained closed due to rain-induced disruptions, while a woman sustained injuries after a retaining wall collapsed in Dehradun. Five people escaped with minor injuries after their car plunged into a ravine in Uttarkashi district.The IMD said intermittent rainfall continued across the state on Sunday. Devidhura in Champawat recorded the highest rainfall between 8.30 am and 3 pm with 7.5 mm, followed by Ukhimath in Rudraprayag with 6 mm. During the 24 hours ending 8.30 am on Sunday, Uttarakhand received 14.4 mm of rainfall against the normal of 14.6 mm, a deficit of just 1%. Rain continued to lash several parts of Uttarakhand during the past 24 hours, with Mussoorie recording the highest rainfall of 75 mm, IMD said.According to the Public Works Department (PWD), of the 205 roads under observation across the state till 9 pm on Sunday, 178 had been reopened and 27 remained completely closed.Flash floods in AnantnagAuthorities have started assessing the damage after overnight flash floods due to rains in a few villages of South Kashmir’s Anantnag caused extensive damage to orchards, hotels and houses.Officials said that flash floods struck Awoora-Pahalgam in Anantnag and its adjoining villages on Saturday evening after a cloud burst flooded the Awoora stream. They said the high volume and fast-moving stream brought in its wake mud, silt and uprooted trees and electricity poles causing damage to orchards, agricultural land and hotels and houses constructed on the banks of the stream.A part of the road connecting Awoora to Pahalgam was also washed away, disconnecting the village. Many vehicles also suffered damage due to mud and debris. Around six hotels were affected due to the flash floods during the night prompting the locals and authorities to shift the tourists either to upper stories of the hotels or to other areas.IMD: Heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh likelyThe IMD, Shimla, forecast moderate to heavy rainfall at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh, with thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds likely to affect several districts over the next 24 hours.According to the IMD, isolated heavy rainfall is very likely in parts of Chamba, Kangra, Kullu and Mandi districts, while light to moderate rain is expected at many places across the low hills, plains and mid-hill regions of the state. Light rainfall is also likely at isolated locations in the higher reaches.An active monsoon will bring heavy rainfall over some districts of West Bengal till July 14, the IMD said on Sunday.“The sub-Himalayan districts of the state, which have been lashed by torrential rain for the past few days, are also likely to experience heavy precipitation till July 14,” the IMD said in a bulletin, cited by Press Trust of India.