Himachal Pradesh on Sunday was struck by flash floods triggered by a cloudburst, causing widespread damage to property and throwing life out of gear in Solan and Hamirpur districts.
The cloudburst resulted in heavy showers in Shimla, Mandi and Kullu regions and the blockade of the Mandi-Kullu National Highway. The rain also washed away livestock, damaged crops, homes and vehicles. Two people died on Sunday.
A statement issued by the Mandi district police said severe weather conditions with continuous rain and flash flood in Khoti Nala near Aut have blocked Mandi-Kullu National Highway. It added that alternative routes to the highway are also blocked. "The Mandi-Joginder Nagar Highway is also closed. The general public/tourists plying on these Highways are advised not to stay on the roads adjacent to mountains as there is a high risk of landslides/rock fall", added the statement.
Uprooted trees blocked traffic on 126 roads, including two national highways.
The state suffered estimated losses of Rs 78 lakh in the past 24 hours, it said. Multiple houses were damaged in Lahaul and Spiti while rain damaged vehicles in Kullu, Lahaul and Spiti and Sirmaur. Power supply was also disrupted as 141 transformers suffered damage, emergency centre officials said.
The flash flood also washed away machinery worth lakhs at the site of the Dhaulasidh Power Project. Six people were also trapped by the waters of the Beas near the Khanuali village. A spokesperson said home guards, police and Indian Reserve Battalion teams have rushed to the spot to rescue the trapped people.
The Met Office has cautioned about the possibility of flash floods in Kangra, Mandi, Shimla, Sirmaur, Chamba and Kullu. It has also issued a 'yellow' alert for heavy rain, thunderstorm and lightning at isolated places on June 26 and thunderstorms coupled with lightning from June 27-29.
Monsoon in Mumbai
Mumbai witnessed the arrival of the monsoon on Sunday after a delay of two weeks, but the heavy rains resulted in waterlogging and disruption of road traffic. Authorities closed the Andheri subway following which traffic was diverted towards the Swami Vivekananda road (SV road).
Mumbai's Colaba observatory said the city recorded 86 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Sunday, while the Santacruz weather station recorded 176.1 mm of rainfall in the same period, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The IMD has also predicted moderate to heavy rainsto lash Mumbai and its suburbs in the last 24 hours and more showers over the next one day with a possibility of occasional intense rain spells, officials said on Monday. The coastal region of Madhya Maharashtra too will receive heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 48 hours.
The synoptic situations such as a low-pressure area formed in the eBay of Bengal, cyclonic circulation over the Kutch region of Gujarat and an active trough spread over Maharashtra to coastal Karnataka would bring heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 48 hours over Konkan, including Mumbai and Madhya Maharashtra, the official said.