Landslides triggered by the rains disrupted traffic on key roads in Uttarakhand, a touristy mountainous state in the Himalayas, prompting warnings for residents not to venture out of their homes unless necessary. Authorities used helicopters to rescue people as bridges and houses were washed away in neighboring Himachal Pradesh.
India’s meteorological agency has predicted more heavy rain in the north in the coming days. He said monsoon rains across the country have already brought 2% more rain than normal.
India regularly witnesses severe flooding during the monsoon season, which runs from June to September and brings most of South Asia’s annual rainfall. Rainfall is crucial for rainfed crops planted during the season, but often causes extensive damage.
Scientists say the monsoons are becoming more erratic due to climate change and global warming, causing frequent landslides and flash floods in India’s northern Himalayas.
In neighboring Pakistan, which has also been hit by monsoon rains, authorities were on alert for the first floods of the season after India diverted water from dams into the Ravi River, which flows from India to Pakistan.
Evacuations were underway from the lowlands in the eastern Punjab province, according to Pakistan’s disaster management agency. More than 500 people were moved from the villages of Narowal, Sialkot and other places, authorities said.
At least 80 people have been killed and 182 injured in Pakistan in weather-related incidents since June 25 when heavy rain affected tens of thousands of people.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised rescuers on Monday for evacuating those stranded in Punjab.
Pakistan said New Delhi had informed Islamabad about the release of water in the Ravi, as required by the 1960 Indus Water Treaty negotiated by the World Bank.
Cash-strapped Pakistan is still struggling to recover from last summer’s floods that killed 1,739 people and caused $30 billion worth of damage.
