Red alert in north India: 6 dead in Mandi landslide, Yamuna swells in Delhi, Chandigarh's Sukhna gates opened

A severe weather system has unleashed torrential rainfall across northern India, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue its highest-level red alert warnings for multiple districts. The intense downpour has already resulted in a fatal landslide in Himachal Pradesh and is causing major rivers, including the Yamuna in Delhi, to swell to critical levels.

The IMD’s updated nowcast warns of moderate to intense spells of rain over the next three hours across Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, northern Punjab, northern Haryana, eastern Rajasthan, southwest Uttar Pradesh, northwest and eastern Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. The department has highlighted significant risks of flash floods, landslides and waterlogging in these regions.

The situation on the ground is rapidly deteriorating. In a tragic incident reported by The Tribune, a devastating landslide in the Jangambag area of Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh, has claimed six lives and left one person missing. The landslide, which buried two residential houses, also trapped a passer-by on Tuesday evening.

Mandi SP Sakshi Verma provided details of the catastrophe, as cited by The Tribune, stating that residents heard loud rumbling noises moments before the hillside collapsed, engulfing homes at its base. “A massive rescue operation was launched immediately after the incident,” said the SP, confirming that all six bodies, including four members of a single family, were recovered from the rubble by late Tuesday night despite difficult conditions. Mandi is one of the Himachal districts under the IMD’s red alert.

The unrelenting rains are also pushing water bodies to their limits. In Delhi, the Yamuna River was recorded at 206.83 metres at the Old Railway Bridge at 8 am on Wednesday, as per PTI. Authorities have issued a flood warning, with forecasts indicating the water level could rise to approximately 206.90 metres. An earlier advisory indicated that the level is likely to rise further thereafter, prompting ongoing evacuations in low-lying areas.

Meanwhile, in Chandigarh, the administration was forced to open two of the three floodgates at Sukhna Lake this morning after its water level surpassed the danger mark of 1,163 feet. This marks a record ninth time the floodgates have been opened this monsoon season, a clear indicator of the unprecedented rainfall. The excess water is being released into the Ghaggar river via the Sukhna Choe.

The list of districts under red alert is extensive. As reported by The Tribune, the warnings cover Poonch, Mirpur, Rajouri and Jammu, among others, in Jammu and Kashmir. In Punjab, the alert extends to Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Sangrur. The Haryana districts of Yamuna Nagar, Ambala and Panchkula are also under the highest alert, alongside Himachal’s Mandi, Una and Solan.