Over the weekend, India’s northern states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and the union territory of Delhi saw massive rainfall, paralyzing daily life and killing 24 people, Indian media reported.
Sharing rainfall data, the IMD said there is 59 per cent excess rainfall over northwest India; four per cent excess over central India; 23 per cent deficiency over peninsular India, and 17 per cent over east and northeast India.
Himachal Pradesh is one of the worst-hit states due to the recent rain. The weather department has issued a red alert for seven districts until Wednesday.
On Monday morning, a cloudburst was reported in the Thunag area, causing flash floods. As the river level continues to rise, vehicle movement from tourist spots such as Kullu, Manali, Atal Tunnel, and Rohtang has been completely stopped, police said on Sunday.
Hundreds of tourists are stuck in the area. At least 14 lives have been lost so far, Himachal state chief Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said.
As many as 13 landslides and nine flash floods have been reported in the state in the past 36 hours, while 736 roads have been closed to traffic.
Uttarakhand
Meanwhile, the situation in Uttarakhand's hilly area remains as grim as in Himachal Pradesh, with six people reportedly dying in the state.
A passenger vehicle carrying 11 pilgrims from the Kedarnath Temple fell into the Ganga River. Of the 11, three bodies were recovered, and five people were injured. Meanwhile, three people remain missing.
Two houses in Missarwala village of Kashipur also collapsed, killing a couple.
In Uttarkashi's Barkot town, a policeman on duty died after getting hit by a stone in a landslide, Indian daily the Hindustan Times reported.
Several roads have been blocked due to landslides, while many trees have been uprooted and houses damaged or collapsed.
The IMD has issued alerts for flash floods and landslides in both Himalayan states.
Delhi-NCR Region
In the national capital Delhi and its adjoining regions, residents were left stranded as water overflowed from clogged drains and submerged roads. A few citizens were even seen riding boats, drawing huge reactions from netizens.
According to the IMD, the city received 153 mm of rain in the 24 hours leading up to 8.30 am on Sunday, the highest day in July since 1982.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will meet with senior officials of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi on Monday to discuss water logging and the Yamuna River flow.
The water level in the river in Delhi is rising and is expected to surpass the danger mark of 205.33 meters on Tuesday.
Several states in India's northeast region, including Assam and Nagaland, have also witnessed heavy rainfall.
In Assam, thousands of people have been displaced due to floods.
South Asian regions have witnessed severe floods and heavy rainfall for the past five to six years, especially during the monsoon season, which falls between June and September. Last year, 1,739 people were killed after a downpour inundated one-third of Pakistan.
Many factors contribute to flooding, but experts say climate change caused by global warming makes extreme rainfall more likely.