Fri Jul 18 15:20:00 UTC 2025: **News Article: Monsoon Fury Unleashes Havoc Across India, Triggering Floods and Disruptions**
**New Delhi:** Torrential monsoon rains are battering India, causing rivers to overflow and triggering severe flood situations in at least 17 locations across the country. The western Himalayan states are bearing the brunt, with Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand facing damaged roads, disrupted water supplies, and power outages due to faulty transformers.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued alerts for heavy rainfall over the next three to four days in 30 states and Union Territories, stretching from Uttarakhand to Odisha and Bengal to Kerala.
Over the past 24 hours, eastern Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have experienced exceptionally heavy rainfall, with some areas recording up to 21 cm. Significant rainfall, ranging from 7-20 cm, was also observed in western Uttar Pradesh, eastern Rajasthan, western Madhya Pradesh, coastal Karnataka, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, and Odisha. Heavy rainfall (7-11 cm) was recorded in parts of western Rajasthan, Mizoram, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, central Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Chhattisgarh.
The heavy downpour has led to waterlogging in various areas, including the Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital in Ajmer, Rajasthan.
The Central Water Commission reported that the Ganga River and its tributaries are rising rapidly, with water levels exceeding the danger mark in Patna (Gandhi Ghat and Hathidah) in Bihar, and Ballia in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Other rivers like Kosi, Bagmati, Punpun, and Burhi Gandak in Bihar are also swelling, posing a significant flood risk.
Tragically, lightning strikes have claimed the lives of 34 people in Bihar over the past two days. Nalanda and Vaishali districts reported the highest casualties, with six deaths each.
Himachal Pradesh is under an Orange Alert for heavy rainfall from July 21st to 23rd. As of Friday evening, 250 roads were closed, and 81 power transformers and 61 water supply schemes were disrupted. The Kinnaur Kailash Yatra was suspended for a day due to the adverse weather.
An Orange Alert has also been issued for eight districts in Jammu and Kashmir, warning of heavy rainfall, potential cloudbursts, landslides, and flooding.
The IMD has issued a Red Alert for Uttarakhand on July 20th and 21st, forecasting very heavy rainfall. Other states and Union Territories likely to experience heavy rainfall in the coming days include Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Bengal, Sikkim, central Maharashtra, Goa, and southern states like Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu, along with the northeastern states.
First Piper 