Monsoon Gains Momentum: Delhi on Yellow Alert, Mumbai on Orange Alert; Heavy Rain Soaks Several States

The India Metereorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday said in a statement that active monsoon conditions are likely during next 3-4 days in central and adjoining north peninsular India, east and northeast India. This comes as the IMD issued red alert for a few districts in Gujarat- Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman, Dangs, Navsari, Surat and Valsad. For Delhi, the IMD statement said, "Fairly Widespread to Widespread rainfall likely over East Uttar Pradesh, Haryana Chandigarh & Delhi and Punjab during 21st-23rd July."

It issued orange alert for districts of several states. Maharashtra's Palghar,Mumbai and districts of Madhya Pradesh that saw an orange alert are: Agar-Malwa, Betul, Chhindwara, Dewas, Harda, Indore, Sehore, Shajapur.

Assam's Charaideo, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Majuli, Sibsagar, Tinsukia also saw orange alert. Chamba, Hamirpurr, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Solan of Himachal Pradesh recieved orange alert from IMD. Chhattisgarh's Gaurela Pendra Marwahi and Korea were given an orange alert.

Orange alert for Mumbai, J&K flooded, Gujarat sees waterlogging

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said Tansa Lake, one of the lake supplying water to the Mumbai, started overflowing. The full storage capacity of Tansa Lake is 14,508 crore liters. Grey skies covered Mumbai and rain lashed the city.

Heavy rainfall lashed Bhalesa in Doda district, with swollen rivers, streams, and drainage channels causing damage to houses, crops, and agricultural land. As flash floods, cloudbursts, and landslides continue, the Doda and Kishtwar administrations have urged people to avoid high-altitude, landslide-prone, and riverbank areas until the weather improves, according to ANI.

Valsad in Gujarat experienced waterlogging in several parts. Delhi too experienced rainfall in several parts of the city.

The IMD advised residents of the affected regions to stay alert and take necessary precautions. It also asked the residents to avoid unnecessary travel.

Chamba in Himachal Pradesh saw disruption of daily life due to torrential rains. The IMD had predicted isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall at few places with extremely heavy rainfall likely at isolated places Himachal Pradesh.

Deputy Commissioner of Chamba, Mukesh Repswal, in a conversation with ANI, said, “According to the Meteorological Department's predictions, a red alert has been issued for Chamba district on July 21, and an orange and yellow alert until July 22. Clear weather is expected after that. Rain that began yesterday evening across the district has blocked over 100 roads…machinery has been deployed, and clearance is underway, but the incessant rain is hampering restoration efforts…traffic has been diverted for the time being…rockslides and landslides are occurring continuously on NH-154A, it is currently blocked…I request everyone to please avoid unnecessary travel. Stay away from rivers and streams and refrain from any trekking activities during this time. If you must travel for some reason, travel only during the day; try your best not to leave home after sunset…currently, there have been no reports of any damage to private property or loss of life.”

J&K government issues advisory

Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, Manoj Sinha condoled the deaths caused by the heavy rains, flash floods, and landslides and wished speedy recovery for the injured. He spoke with senior officials and the DCs of Rajouri and Poonch to assess the damage to houses and key public infrastructure. Of the 435 damaged roads, 356 have been restored.

In a post on X, he said, “Teams from the SDRF, NDRF, Army, BRO, NHAI, J&K Police, and Civil Defence are working together, while Quick Response teams are deployed in vulnerable areas.”

Will these showers cover India’s rainfall deficit?

As per the IMD, India currently stands at a rainfall deficit of 21.3%. The monsoon trough- the low pressure belt in India that decides the rainfall- is in normal position. While the northwest and northeast India will experience active monsoon conditions, west, central and south India remain relatively muted.

This year, India experienced the El Niño spell- a climate pattern usually associated with delayed and weaker monsoons. El Niño refers to unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, which often delay the southwest monsoon and reduce the number of rainy days over India.