IMD Forecasts Two Days of Intense Rainfall in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a forecast stating that Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh should brace for heavy rainfall over the next two days. Meanwhile, the west coast will witness increased rainfall activity starting from July 17, while the northeast region can expect a decrease in precipitation.

According to the daily bulletin released by the Met department, Himachal Pradesh is likely to experience widespread rainfall for the next five days. Similarly, Uttarakhand and East Uttar Pradesh will witness similar rainfall activity for the next three days.

Active monsoon conditions are expected to persist over central and adjoining East India for the next five days, with heavy rainfall anticipated in Jharkhand and Odisha within the next 24 hours. The eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh will see heavy rainfall from July 16 to 18, while the western districts of Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha region of Maharashtra will experience showers on July 16 and 18. Chhattisgarh can expect rain from July 16 to 17.

In the western part of the country, light to moderate rainfall, with isolated heavy showers, is likely to continue over the next five days.

The IMD's forecast indicates that Goa and the ghat areas of central Maharashtra will experience similar rainfall activity from July 18 to 20, while Gujarat should expect it on July 19 and 20.

The IMD also predicts "fairly widespread to widespread rainfall, with isolated heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and lightning" over Arunachal Pradesh on July 16, Assam and Meghalaya on July 16 and 17, and Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura on July 16 and 17.

The continuous heavy rainfall has resulted in devastation across the hill states. In the northwestern Himalayan region, landslides have blocked several roads and left numerous people stranded. The Balwakot-Dharchula road in Dharchula near the Pithoragarh district's border area was blocked on Sunday due to a landslide. Additionally, the Yamunotri Highway number 123 was blocked on Saturday near Chami village in Pauri Tehsil of Garhwal District in Uttarakhand.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed concern over potential losses of approximately ₹5,000 crore ($673 million) due to floods in the state. The chief minister stated that compensation of ₹1,45,000 ($1,946) has been provided to those whose houses were completely damaged, while ₹1 lakh ($1,341) has been given to those with partially damaged houses.

"I have never seen such a situation in the past years. We have given ₹1,45,000 to people whose houses have been damaged completely, and those with partially damaged houses have been compensated with ₹1 lakh," said CM Sukhu.