New Delhi, June 30 (PTI) Most parts of India are likely to receive above-normal rainfall in July, the weather department said on Monday, asking authorities and people in central India, Uttarakhand and Haryana to stay alert due to the risk of flooding even as some parts of the country are facing the fury of the monsoons.
In rain-induced damages in parts of Himachal Pradesh, while buildings collapsed, landslides and road blockades added worries to the woes of the people in the hill state on Monday.
With major rivers in north Odisha in spate, the state government has started evacuating people from low-lying areas and launched rescue and relief operations in Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts, officials said on Monday.
Delhi and the adjoining National Capital Region (NCR) witnessed light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds on Monday morning, pushing the temperatures several degrees down and rendering the air cleaner. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded widespread precipitation across various parts of Delhi-NCR from Sunday night.
Chandigarh and several parts of Punjab and Haryana also received rainfall on Monday. According to the local Met department, Chandigarh received 70.5 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Monday.
The IMD said rainfall is likely to be below normal in large parts of the northeast, many areas of eastern India and extreme southern peninsular India.
Average maximum temperatures are expected to remain normal to below normal in many regions. However, parts of the northeast, northwest, east and southern peninsula are likely to see above-normal temperatures, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said during an online press briefing.
The country receives 28 cm of rainfall on average in July.
Mohapatra said there is a high chance of heavy rainfall in central India and the adjoining southern peninsula. This includes east Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, adjoining areas of Vidarbha and Telangana and parts of Gujarat and Maharashtra.
He added that good rainfall is also expected in Uttarakhand and Haryana.
"This region includes several cities and towns, including Delhi. Many south-flowing rivers originate in Uttarakhand. We must take precautions for all these river catchments, cities and towns," Mohapatra said.
Heavy rains led to building collapses, landslides and road blockades in Himachal Pradesh on Monday.
Since the onset of monsoon on June 20 to date, rain-related incidents have claimed 23 lives in the state, according to the state emergency operation centre.
Himachal received an average of 135 mm of rain in June against the normal of 101 mm, an excess of 34 per cent. It is the 21st highest rainfall in the month of June in the state since 1901. The highest rainfall of 252.7 mm was recorded in the year 1971.
In another hilly state of Uttarakhand, the Chardham Yatra resumed on Monday with rains easing at most places though authorities urged pilgrims to be cautious, while rescuers searched for seven construction workers -- who went missing following a landslide and cloudburst on Yamunotri highway -- for the second consecutive day.
The IMD recorded widespread precipitation across various parts of Delhi-NCR from Sunday night. The rainfall led to a notable drop in day temperatures on Monday. According to the IMD, the minimum temperature recorded at 8.30 am at Safdarjung station was 24 degrees Celsius, 3.9 notches below the season's average.
The air quality improved slightly, though the Air Quality Index (AQI) continued to stay in the 'satisfactory' category. The AQI recorded was 73 at 9 am on Monday, against 83 on Sunday evening.
The Met office has issued a yellow alert (Be Aware) for most of Delhi and NCR, while certain parts like northwest Delhi and sections of NCR such as Jhajjar, Bhiwani and Panipat were under the green zone (No Warning).
More light to moderate showers are likely in parts of the region over the next 24 hours, according to IMD officials, who also advised residents to avoid open spaces during thunderstorms and remain alert to possible waterlogging in low-lying areas.
In Haryana's Gurugram, a 13-year-old girl was killed and six of her family members were injured after a house collapsed due to heavy rains in a village in Haryana's Nuh district on Sunday night, police said.
In another tragedy, an 80-year-old woman died in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh on Monday after her house collapsed during heavy rains, even as authorities sounded an alert as the Ganga river approached the danger mark at the Bijnor barrage, officials said.
In the East, the Odisha government has sounded a red alert for Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts as water levels in rivers like Subarnarekha, Budhabalang, Jalaka and Sono continue to rise.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari told reporters after reviewing the flood situation that personnel of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and the Fire Service are engaged in rescue and relief operations.
The IMD has forecast more rain across the state till July 5.
In West Bengal, the IMD forecast heavy rainfall in several districts in the next few days owing to a low-pressure area over the coastal areas of the state adjoining the Bay of Bengal.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely in Paschim Medinipur, Purulia, Bankura and Jhargram till Tuesday and heavy rain thereafter in these districts, along with South 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur and Paschim Bardhaman districts in Gangetic West Bengal.
In another eastern state, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has expressed concern over the continuing rainfall in the state. He said the government is closely monitoring the situation.
In the western part of the country, rainfall activity is likely to increase in most parts of eastern Rajasthan from July 1 and monsoon will remain active for the next week, the local meteorological office said on Monday.
June is the wettest month in Gujarat since 2015 with rainfall exceeding 288 mm so far, official data shows.
The monsoon broke its previous record of 200.83 mm rainfall recorded in June 2023.