The annual monsoons left a trail of death and destruction in several parts of India, triggering killer landslides in Manipur and flooding vast areas including the country’s financial capital Mumbai which was battered by the highest single-day rainfall in four years.
The southwest monsoon is the lifeblood of India’s agriculture-driven economy but also causes massive loss of life and property during its June-to-September journey across the country.
In Manipur, at least nine people, including eight children, were buried alive in three landslides in Tamenglong district on Wednesday morning. Manipur and other parts of the Northeast have experienced heavy rainfall over the past few weeks, leading to flooding of vast swathes of farmland and human habitations.
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Landslides and floods also hit Uttarakhand where all schools and anganwadi centres were ordered closed on Wednesday after the weatherman issued a heavy rainfall alert.
A stretch of the NH-94 between Chamba-Rishikesh was closed on Wednesday after landslides blocked the road near Fakot and Bhinnu areas of district, officials said. A suspension bridge was also washed away in Pithoragarh’s Nachani, they added.
In the country’s west coast, Mumbai braced for more woes despite the rains relenting on Wednesday morning.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned of heavy rain in Maharashtra and other parts of central India on Wednesday and Thursday.
Though a few suburban trains – Mumbai’s lifeline -- were running, the Western Railways announced cancellation and rescheduling of many others due to inundated tracks.
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According to the IMD, Mumbai received 184.3 mm rainfall between Monday and Tuesday mornings, the highest single-day rainfall since 2015. In just 10 days, the city received 864.5 mm rain, which is nearly equal to what it gets in an entire month, it said.
Today, scores of commuters flocked the railway stations looking for local trains to reach their destinations, WR chief spokesperson Ravinder Bhakar said.
“Hence, we decided to start local train services with a cautionary note. At 6.45 am, we started services between Churchgate (in south Mumbai) and Bhayander (Thane district) stations with a restricted speed of 10 kmph,” he said.
“Services between Virar and Dahanu Road (in adjoining Palghar district) have also commenced,” Bhakar said, adding senior railway officials were keeping a close watch on the restoration efforts.
The heavy downpour on Tuesday had caused flooding at Vasai, Nallasopara and Virar stations, leading to cancellation of many long-distance trains. A total of 150 suburban services were cancelled on Tuesday, an official said.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police and fire brigade personnel rescued 2,000 passengers of Shatabdi Express and Vadodara Express.
Heavy rains in Gujarat also led to flooding in Navsari, where several localities were flooded.
In Kerala, heavy rains lashed the state on Tuesday, resulting in widespread water-logging and damage.
One of the worst affected districts, Idukki, witnessed widespread incidents of landslides and crop loss.
The Idukki District Collector requested people in the high ranges to avoid night journeys as there was a possibility of landslides and declared a holiday on Wednesday for all educational institutions, excluding professional colleges.
Vehicular movement was disrupted in Adimaly in the district after a mudslide.
Incidents of landslide, water-logging and damage of properties were also reported in parts of Wayanad and high ranges of Kozhikode.
In Kozhikode district, people were stranded in interior areas and efforts were on shift them to relief camps. Many trees were uprooted and fell on rail tracks in some areas, official sources said.
Three people, including a boy, suffered minor injuries when rock and mud from a cliff at Varkala in the district fell on them in the rains.
(With inputs from Abdul Gani in Guwahati and agencies)
