NEW DELHI: At least 20 people were killed since Saturday as heavy rains continuing to cause havoc across northern India.
The bad weather, likely to continue into Friday, has uprooted trees, closed major roads and flooded homes in several states of the country. On Tuesday, Delhi was put on high alert for flooding after water levels in the Yamuna River rose to dangerous levels.
Officials have since relocated thousands of people living near the river banks to safer locations.
People living in other risky areas have also been told to evacuate, if needed. Heavy rainfall caused traffic over a key river bridge to cut off, and schools closed for a second day Tuesday.
According to Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the next two days would be crucial for the city; however, he added that his government was well prepared to tackle any situation.
India’s weather department has warned that heavy rains are likely to continue in the region well into the weekend.
In the Himalayan states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, teams of the Indian army and the National Disaster Response Force have been carrying out rescue operations after landslides and flash floods damaged buildings and roads.
In Himachal Pradesh, over 700 roads and key highways have been closed due to landslides. Massive waterlogging was also reported in the states of Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana.
The Amarnath Yatra – an annual Hindu pilgrimage to a Himalayan cave shrine in Indian Illegally-Occupied Kashmir – has also been suspended for the fourth day running after a national highway was damaged, leaving thousands of pilgrims stranded in nearby localities.
Seasonal monsoon rains, which fall from June to September, are a lifeline for the country but typically also cause deaths and destruction to property and life every year.
