Rainfall ‘normal’, but monsoon fury ravages northern Himalayan states
New Delhi: A spate of cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides across the Himalayan states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand this monsoon has again laid bare the mountain’s risk to short, violent spells of rain.
It has also shown that seasonal rainfall in the “normal” category may not always signal safety. The India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) district-wise rainfall data till August 17 this season shows a striking contrast -- several districts that saw deadly cloudbursts or flash floods are in the “normal” to “below-normal” rainfall bracket. Examples include Kishtwar and Kathua in Jammu division and Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand.
The IMD classifies rainfall as “large excess” if it is 60 per cent or more above the season’s normal, “excess” if it is between 20 per cent and 59 per cent and “normal” if within 19 per cent. Rainfall that is 20 to 59 per cent below normal is “deficient”, while 60 to 99 per cent below is termed “large deficient”.
Himachal Pradesh has received 613.6 mm of rainfall so far this monsoon, 18 per cent above the Long-Period Average (LPA) of 519.5 mm. Jammu and Kashmir recorded 362.9 mm, 6 per cent below the LPA of 385.2 mm. Uttarakhand received 947.9 mm, 14 per cent above the LPA of 830.1 mm. Despite these variations, all three states fall in the “normal” rainfall category this season.
In Jammu and Kashmir, Kishtwar has received only 86.5 mm of rainfall so far against a normal of 301.5 mm, a shortfall of 71 per cent. Despite this, it has been among the worst-affected this year, with a cloudburst-triggered flash flood on August 14 killing at least 60 people and leaving many missing. Kathua has recorded 854.6 mm of rainfall so far this monsoon, 5 per cent below the normal of 898.6 mm, but cloudbursts in the Rajbagh and Janglote areas on August 17 caused flash floods and landslides that killed at least seven people and damaged infrastructure, including rail tracks and the Jammu-Kathua highway.
In Reasi district, heavy rains and high water levels in the Chenab river washed away a crucial road patch. Schools were shut across parts of Jammu division amid landslide and flash-flood risk. In Rajouri and Poonch, swollen rivers and streams have led to inundations and landslide damage.
While Reasi recorded 23-per cent surplus rainfall, Poonch recorded slightly above normal and Rajouri gauged 66 per cent of precipitation.
Uttarkashi has recorded near-normal seasonal rainfall, around 3 per cent above average. However, on August 5, a cloudburst over the upper Kheer Ganga catchment triggered a flash flood, causing widespread destruction.
