Heavy Rains: IMD issues orange alert for Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and 2 more states

India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday issued an orange alert for rain in four states including Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. IMD informed that Jharkhand, Odisha are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall on July 16.

"#OrangeAlert: #Jharkhand & #Odisha likely to get heavy to very heavy rainfall (115.6 to 204.4 mm) on 16th July", IMD shared in a tweet.

Further, IMD tweeted that Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are likely to recieve heavy to very heavy showers from July 16 to 17.

"#OrangeAlert: #HimachalPradesh & #Uttarakhand likely to get heavy to very heavy rainfall (115.6 to 204.4 mm) during 16th to 17th of July", it said.

Meanwhile, talking to ANI, Vikram Singh, Director, Meteorological Department, Dehradun said, "There is a possibility of more rainfall in Uttarakhand on July 16 and 17. For today, a red alert has been issued in Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri and Haridwar districts and an orange alert has been issued for the remaining districts. There will be a slight reduction in rainfall on July 18."

Singh further said that the rainfall will slightly decrease on July 18 but added that it is necessary to be on high alert.

"Although there will be a slight decrease in the rainfall on July 18, still there are chances of receiving heavy rainfall. So it is necessary to be on high alert", he said.

Notably, heavy rainfall in the state has led to several landslides that have blocked roads and highways, stranding scores of people.

On Sunday, a senior official said the Balwakot-Dharchula road in Dharchula near the border area of the Pithoragarh district was blocked following a landslide.

While the Yamunotri Highway number 123 was blocked on Saturday due to falling debris near Chami village in the Pauri Tehsil of Garhwal District. As per officials, dozens of vehicles were left stuck on both sides of the road.

The flood rescue operation by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) continues in the flood-affected areas of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Delhi, where torrential rainfall and the release of water from barrages have resulted in unprecedented floods, an official statement said on late Friday evening. 

Fifty-eight NDRF teams have been deployed in flood-affected states for rescue and relief work in coordination with State administrations.

Sixteen teams of the NDRF have been deployed in Delhi, 11 teams in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand each, and 10 teams in Punjab and Haryana.