Live blog: Monsoon 2025: No respite for India from rain havoc, landslides, floods

Large parts of north India continue to reel under the impact of the monsoon this year. Landslides have cut off the hills in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and isolated towns, while swollen rivers have inundated farmlands in Punjab, ruining kharif sowing and eroding topsoil. Thousands have been displaced as homes collapse along unstable slopes and encroached floodplains. Emergency teams from the NDRF, SDRF and Army are conducting rescue operations and also dropping essential supplies

Over 100 Odisha villages under flood water

The water level of some of the major rivers of north Odisha receded below the danger level on Friday, 29 August, but around 100 villages in Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts were still under flood water for the fifth consecutive day, an official said. At least 30,000 people in the villages have been affected by the floods, he said.

While 80 villages under Baliapal and Bhograi blocks in Balasore are under four feet water, a similar situation was reported from 14 other villages under Dasrathpur block in Jajpur district, the official said, adding some pockets in Dhamnagar block of Bhadrak district too were under water.

Read more (https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/some-respite-from-flood-in-odisha-100-villages-still-under-water-for-fifth-day)

Stranded residents stand near the Subarnarekha river in Balasore. (photo: PTI) Jammu-Srinagar national highway closed for 4th consecutive day

The Jammu-Srinagar national highway was closed for traffic for the fourth consecutive day on Friday, 29 August, due to multiple landslides triggered by heavy rains in the Udhampur-Ramban belt, leaving over 2,000 vehicles stranded, officials said. The 270-km-long stretch, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, has been blocked between Jakheni and Chenani in Udhampur since Tuesday. "Highway is closed for the fourth day. No vehicular movement shall be allowed from Nagrota in Jammu towards Reasi, Chenani, Patnitop, Doda, Ramban, Banihal and Srinagar," a traffic police official said.

Authorities have advised commuters belonging to Katra and Udhampur towns to keep their photo ID cards to prove their identity so that their movement can be facilitated smoothly.

Vehicles stuck in a traffic jam on the Jammu and Kashmir national highway (Photo: PTI) Fresh cloudbursts batter Chamoli, Rudraprayag

Cloudbursts have wreaked havoc across Uttarakhand, leaving two people missing and numerous animals feared trapped under debris, officials reported on Friday, 29 August. The situation has deteriorated in Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts with several families left stranded. Authorities launched immediate relief and evacuation efforts, moving residents to safer locations. The Alaknanda river has crossed the danger mark, inundating residential areas, while the Mandakini is rising rapidly, evoking memories of the 2013 floods. Infrastructure damage too has been severe.

Read more (https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/uttarakhand-fresh-cloudbursts-batter-chamoli-and-rudraprayag-rescue-underway)

Over 6,600 rescued in Punjab, drones used to deliver medicines

With incessant rainfall in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir over the last few days, water levels in the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers are rising and have inundated large tracts of farmlands and villages in Punjab, which is witnessing its worst floods since 1988. According to officials, more than 6,600 people have been evacuated from several areas.

Villages in Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur and Amritsar are the worst-affected.

The Amritsar administration deployed amphibious all-terrain off road-vehicles and boats for evacuating those stranded in the Ramdas area. In Gurdaspur authorities flew a drone to deliver medicines, dry ration, water bottles to affected people in Dera Baba Nanak, said officials.

The Indian Army, Border Security Force, Indian Air Force and National Disaster Response Force have been deployed to help with evacuation and deliver relief supplies.

Read more (https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/punjab-several-districts-under-grip-of-floods-rescue-operations-intensified)