Torrential rain triggered deaths, landslides, flooding and evacuations across several states on Tuesday. Fresh IMD alerts, school closures and transport disruption underscored a widening monsoon emergency.
Torrential rain caused widespread disruption across several parts of the country on Tuesday, killing at least 11 people in Assam and Uttarakhand, pushing rivers above danger levels in Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, and flooding roads and homes. Train services were disrupted in some areas, while schools were shut in parts of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Uttarakhand was the worst hit, with at least seven people killed in separate incidents linked to the rain. Assam reported four deaths in landslides in Guwahati, while Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh remained on high alert because of rising rivers and the risk of flash floods. The India Meteorological Department also issued fresh warnings for several states.
In Uttarakhand, three people were killed when the walls of a house collapsed around 3 am in Odyuda village in Almora’s Havalbagh block. An SDRF team reached from the Sariyapani post but had to walk to the site after debris blocked the road around three kilometres away. In another incident in Almora town, two Nepalese labourers were killed after the wall of an old house collapsed in the Dharkituni area, taking the rain-related death toll in Almora district to at least five.
In Dehradun, a rain-swollen current swept away a car near Kandoli Bridge on Poundha Road in Lower Kandoli late on Monday night. An SDRF team recovered the bodies of a man and a woman, while another woman in the vehicle was found injured around two kilometres from the spot.
The Dehradun-Mussoorie highway was among the worst affected in the state, with repeated landslides, road subsidence and falling boulders blocking and narrowing stretches near Mussoorie. Debris and boulders blocked the road at Pani Wala Bend, while damage to safety nets installed by the Public Works Department further narrowed the road and slowed traffic. The heavy rain also swelled rivers and streams. In Rishikesh, the Bin river flowed over an already overflowing causeway, while the Gaula river rose in Haldwani, which recorded 192 mm of rain in the 24 hours ending Tuesday.
Sewer water flooded Nainital’s Mall Road, and in Ramnagar, the Belgarh nala on the Ramnagar-Haldwani state highway rose sharply, disrupting traffic and leaving vehicles stranded. A three-wheeler was also swept towards an overflowing stream and pulled to safety by members of the public.
The IMD issued a red alert for Nainital and Almora and an orange alert for most other parts of Uttarakhand. Authorities in Nainital, Almora and Bageshwar ordered schools from Classes 1 to 12 to remain closed. Bageshwar District Magistrate Apoorva Pandey said reports of landslides and shooting stones had come from several areas and urged residents to stay away from rivers, streams and other disaster-prone places and to avoid unnecessary travel.
Assam also saw deadly rain, with four people, including three members of a family, killed in two landslides in Guwahati. In the Mathgharia area, a couple and their 11-year-old daughter were killed when a landslide flattened their house while they were asleep. Their 19-year-old son was rescued from under the debris and taken to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital. In another landslide, a 65-year-old woman was killed after a rock partially damaged her house, while several family members suffered minor injuries. Waterlogging was reported in Panjabari, RG Baruah Road, Chandmari, Beltola, Borbari and Six Mile, forcing students and office-goers to wade through knee-deep water on several roads.
Jharkhand was placed on high alert after the IMD issued a flash-flood warning for Garhwa, Palamu, Latehar, Lohardaga, Gumla, Khunti, Saraikela-Kharsawan, West Singhbhum, East Singhbhum and Simdega. Dumaria in East Singhbhum recorded 217 mm of rainfall since Monday, followed by Dumri in Giridih at 162.2 mm and Mahuadawar in Latehar at 146.2 mm. The IMD forecast heavy rain across the state till September 5 and issued a red alert for very heavy rainfall in Garhwa, Palamu, Simdega and West Singhbhum. In Jamshedpur, rivers crossed danger levels, with the Kharkhai at Adityapur bridge rising to 133.10 metres, 4.10 metres above the danger level, and the Subarnarekha reaching 122.60 metres against the red mark of 121.50 metres at Mango bridge. Authorities asked residents in low-lying areas to move to safer places.
Uttar Pradesh also faced severe rain and flood conditions. In Chitrakoot, the Mandakini river rose around four metres above the danger mark after heavy rainfall in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, prompting evacuations. Floodwaters submerged Ramghat and the Nirmohi Akhara, and damaged a bridge connecting Ramghat and Nayagaon. SDRF and NDRF teams were deployed, and Army helicopters were used to evacuate people trapped in floodwaters. In Varanasi, the rising Ganga entered several areas, forcing boats into flooded lanes and disrupting cremations at Manikarnika and Harishchandra ghats.
The river was flowing at 70.28 metres at 10 am, above the warning level of 70.26 metres, and was rising at 0.5 cm per hour. Several families living along the Varuna river were moved to relief camps. In Lakhimpur Kheri, authorities shut all schools up to Class 8 as the Sharda river rose. Train services on the Mailani-Nanpara section were suspended after water seepage was reported between Bhira and Palia stations, affecting around half a dozen trains. Rain also damaged the Ganga Expressway in Unnao, where a portion of the Prayagraj-bound carriageway caved in near the Basiratganj toll plaza, leaving a pit around seven feet deep. Traffic was diverted and repair work began. It was the second such road damage incident on the expressway in the district this monsoon.
In Himachal Pradesh, a yellow alert for heavy rain at isolated places in Kangra, Mandi and Sirmaur has been issued till September 3. Kangra recorded 99.4 mm of rain, followed by Jogindernagar at 54 mm and Murari Devi at 50 mm. The rain disrupted essential services, with 60 roads closed, 39 water supply schemes affected and 11 power transformers disrupted. Delhi received light to moderate monsoon showers in several areas in the evening, and the IMD said similar rain was likely in many parts till September 4, with heavy rainfall possible at isolated places.
In West Bengal, a low-pressure system over Gangetic West Bengal brought heavy rain to Kolkata and parts of south Bengal. Kalaikunda recorded 51 mm of rain in the 24 hours till 8.30 am, while Kolkata received 23 mm and Salt Lake 40 mm. Waterlogging in low-lying areas affected office-hour traffic. The IMD forecast heavy rain in parts of Gangetic West Bengal till Wednesday morning and in several sub-Himalayan districts till September 4. In Jammu and Kashmir, heavy rain and swollen rivers and nallahs led authorities to shut all schools in Poonch district.
