Fresh spell of rains have pushed Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir deeper into crisis.
Rivers remain swollen, hills unstable and highways blocked, leaving large parts of the region reeling from one of the heaviest monsoon in recent years.
Punjab has seen 37 deaths so far and damage to crops spread across 1.75 lakh hectares in 23 districts. The fresh spell of rain, Chandigarh recorded 20.4 mm, Mohali 18 mm, Gurdaspur 14.8 mm, Amritsar 6.4 mm, Patiala 2.3 mm and Ludhiana 0.4 mm, has added to the strain.
In neighbouring Haryana, Panchkula recorded 76 mm, Karnal 16.8 mm, Hisar 12.6 mm, Ambala 5.3 mm and Rohtak 1.8 mm.
The Hathnikund barrage in Yamunanagar, Haryana, released 3.29 lakh cusecs on Monday, the highest this season, before easing to 1.42 lakh cusecs on Thursday morning. The discharge has kept levels of rivers high in both states.
The NDRF, Army, BSF, Punjab Police and district authorities ran relief operations. Schools, colleges and universities in Punjab will remain closed till September 7.
In Haryana, public health and engineering minister Ranbir Gangwa convened an emergency meeting, directing officials to ensure immediate drainage and uninterrupted drinking water supply.
Revenue and disaster management minister Vipul Goel reviewed the impact of above-normal rainfall and preparations for flood management.
In Himachal Pradesh, incessant rain has triggered landslides and road collapses. On Thursday morning, two houses came down in Kullu’s Akhada Bazaar, killing one and burying six.
“Three persons were rescued and shifted to hospital while search is underway for six more buried under the debris,” NDRF assistant commandant Santosh said.
“We were already engaged in a nearby site and rushed to the spot in 10 minutes and rescued three people on time,” he added.
One of the survivors, Radhika Sankhyan, described her ordeal: “I was buried under the utensils and rubble as the door of the kitchen also fell down.”
This comes days after another house collapse in the same area killed two, including an NDRF jawan.
The state emergency operation centre reported 1,292 roads closed across Himachal, with Mandi (294), Kullu (226), Shimla (216), Chamba (204) and Sirmaur (91) the worst hit. National highways including the Chandigarh–Manali road and the Old Hindustan–Tibet road are shut.
Train services on the Shimla–Kalka line have been suspended. Power and water supply have also been hit, 2,809 transformers and 1,081 water schemes remain disrupted.
Since June 20, Himachal has recorded 95 flash floods, 45 cloudbursts and 127 major landslides, with 343 deaths and losses estimated at Rs 3,690 crore.
The Kashmir Valley has been cut off from the rest of the country after landslides and road washouts forced closure of the Jammu–Srinagar highway, Mughal Road, Sinthan Road and the Batote–Doda–Kishtwar highway.
More than 3,500 vehicles are stranded between Kathua and Srinagar.
A traffic police advisory said: “Jammu-Srinagar is closed for vehicular movement from Jakhani in Udhampur towards Srinagar and vice versa due to the road being damaged at multiple places. No vehicular movement shall be allowed from Nagrota (Jammu) towards Reasi, Chenani, Patnitop, Doda, Ramban, Banihal, Srinagar and vice versa.”
Restoration work is ongoing at Ramban–Banihal, where retaining walls and stretches of road have been washed away. One landslide entered a tube of the Peerah tunnel.
Educational institutions across Kashmir stayed closed for a second day on Thursday.
The Jhelum’s water level has started to recede, though low-lying areas in Anantnag, Budgam, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian reported spillovers.
A forest officer has died after being swept away by an overflowing drain in Uttarakhand's Nanital district, officials said on Thursday. Also, a total of 54 roads, including national highways, are blocked due to landslides in the hill state, they added.
A house was damaged in Sagwara village in Tharali tehsil of Chamoli district in the morning. However, it was vacant and no one was harmed, the SEOC said.
The persistent downpour has led to a sharp drop in temperature, particularly in higher altitudes, where the season’s first snowfall was recorded in Kedarnath, intensifying the cold in Kedarpuri.
Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited Amritsar and Gurdaspur on Thursday. He rode a tractor in Gurdaspur and stepped into inundated fields to inspect damage.
“I have been sent to Punjab by the prime minister. We will take stock of the situation, talk to the people,” he said.
Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria submitted a report to Chouhan on the damage in Amritsar, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Ferozepur.
Punjab agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian and MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal demanded Rs 2,000 crore in immediate relief and the release of Rs 60,000 crore pending from the Centre.
In Jammu, BRO chief Lt Gen Raghu Srinivasan inspected flood-hit areas under Project Sampark and directed his teams to speed up road restoration. Nine days of rain in the region have killed over 120 and damaged hundreds of homes and public infrastructure.
The Yamuna in Delhi held steady at 207.46 metres at the Old Railway Bridge on Thursday, with officials saying the level is likely to recede.
Despite this, floodwaters continued to swamp nearby areas, reaching close to the Delhi Secretariat and inundating Vasudev Ghat, Mayur Vihar Phase I relief camps, Monastery Market, and Yamuna Bazar.
Cremation grounds were badly hit, with Nigambodh Ghat shut and the Geeta Colony crematorium partially submerged.
The twin blows of incessant rainfall and Yamuna flooding brought traffic snarls and heavy waterlogging across the city, including in Civil Lines near Chandgi Ram Akhada.
The Met department has warned of more heavy rain. Rajasthan is on ‘orange alert’ with Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh, Salumbhar and Udaipur expected to receive very heavy rainfall.