Heavy rains claim 11 lives in North India, Red alert in Punjab

Schools in the states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh will remain shut seeing the incessant downpour. Schools have also been closed in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir and in most places of Himachal Pradesh.

New Delhi: Rains continue to wreak havoc in North India as the death toll in rain-related incidents reach 11 in the region. Incidents of flash floods and landslides in hill states of northern India led to death of 11 people in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. A red-alert has been issued in the state of Punjab. Schools in the states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh will remain shut seeing the incessant downpour. Schools have also  been closed in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir and in most places of Himachal Pradesh. An advisory has been issued to the Punjab government that it will release “excess” water from the Pong dam in the wake of incessant rains in catchment areas of Beas River. Punjab which is being battered by torrential rains since the last two days, prompted state authorities to review preparations to tackle flood-like situation. The government also asked the district authorities to maintain vigil to avoid untoward rain-related accidents. According to the Meterological department, heavy to very heavy rain is expected at isolated places in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, western Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh. Normal life thrown out of gear: Heavy rains led to landslides which blocked the roads to Badrinath, Kedarnath and Yamunotri, affecting the Chardham Yatra, while traffic snarled in the national capital due to waterlogging following heavy rains. In Haryana's Ambala, a 45-year-old man died when the roof of his house collapsed due to heavy rains, police said. Five people, including a minor girl, died and as many injured in separate incidents during heavy rains in Kullu, Kangra and Chamba districts of Himachal Pradesh on Monday, the officials said. A "high alert" has been sounded for Kullu district. Several houses were also swept away in flash floods as the Beas is flowing at a dangerous level, HP Forest Minister Govind Singh Thakur said, cautioning people against going near rivers and nullahs. An Indian Air Force team had rescued, with the help of a chopper, 21 people stranded due to flash floods at Dobi in Kullu district in the last 48 hours. BJP MP from Hamirpur Anurag Thakur said, "So far, 126 roads have been affected by landslides triggered by rains and news of the loss of lives are too pouring in from many places." People residing in the low-lying areas, especially in Kangra, Chamba, Kullu and Mandi districts, are being evacuated, officials said. In Chamba, the Ravi river is still flowing at a dangerous level and people are being evacuated from low-lying areas by the administration since Sunday, Superintendent of Police Monica Bhutunguru said. In Uttarakhand, most of the places, including state capital Dehradun, received showers with around 45 rural roads blocked in these districts, the state emergency operation centre said. In Rajasthan, heavy to moderate rainfall was recorded in various parts of the state in 24 hours, an MeT official said. Heavy rains lashed several parts of the national capital, causing waterlogging and traffic snarls on major intersections in the city. In Jammu and Kashmir, five members of a family, including three minors, were killed Monday when their house was buried under debris after a landslide in the Doda district, while 29 people stranded in Kathua district after flash floods were rescued. Doda and other parts of Jammu region have been lashed by incessant rain for the past two days. "A total of 29 persons, including six women and 10 children, were rescued from various flood-hit areas of Kathua district during overnight operations," a police officer said. Multiple landslides and shooting stones from a hillock along the highway between Ramban and Udhampur districts had blocked the arterial road since Sunday morning. (With inputs from PTI)