Floods in North India Leave More than 35 People Dead Due to Incessant Rains and Massive Landslides

National

In the past one-week North India has witnessed heavy rainfall and massive landslides. North Indian states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, National Capital New Delhi, and Punjab have seen torrential rain. The floods in North India leave 40 people dead.

Delhi has seen its wettest July days in a decade. Delhi recorded 153 mm of rainfall in 24 hours on Sunday, which is considered the highest in a single day in July since 1982. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal announced on Sunday that schools in the national capital will remain shut till Tuesday due to torrential rainfall.

The condition in Himachal Pradesh is so grim as various bridges have collapsed and many local buildings like hotels, houses, and buses swept away by the flood. The Indian Meteorological Department has issued a “Red Alert” for the state of Arunachal Pradesh forecasting heavy rains and landslides will continue next few days.

Uttarakhand and Punjab have also seen a high level of precipitation this year. More than 20 centimeters of precipitation which is categorized as heavy rain was concentrated in the northern tip of India. The next few days will be difficult for the people of Northern India as their daily activities will be affected by this continuing rainfall.

Reasons for this massive flood in North India

Climate Change Phenomenon

According to various research it has been noted that climate change threatens to make extreme flooding more intense and frequent. Due to Global Warming, there is extra moisture which in turn comes down as heavy rain.

Himalayan foothills or the Western Ghats are most likely to be susceptible to heavy rains and landslides as hilly areas stop the moisture to flow and lift it, which results in torrential rain. So, whenever it will be hot weather conditions, the northern state will particularly be more prone to torrential rain and massive
landslide due to its geographic location.

Year after year the weather is becoming warm and this will only lead to the condition of flooding and landslides.

Combination of two weather systems

According to the Indian Meteorological Department “The heavy rainfall is due to the interaction between Western disturbance and the Monsoon”. This is what they called the deluge to the combination of two weather systems. It is considered a rare phenomenon and attributed as the main reason for incessant rainfall in Northern India.

Various other reasons have contributed to this wreaked havoc situation in northern India. The government of these affected states is in action to tackle this grim situation in their state.