‘MONSOON TROUGH’

It is an elongated low-pressure area that brings heavy rain to a region. It extends from a so-called “heat low” (a low pressure over the seas) over Pakistan to the head of the Bay of Bengal region (parts of Odisha, West Bengal, and Bangladesh). This is one of the semi-permanent features of monsoon circulation, a report in HT mentioned.

Now, the monsoon trough is likely to shift further north from its normal position in the next 2-3 days due to the El Nino effect, according to IMD scientists.

‘IMD RAIN FORECAST’

According to the weather forecasting agency, most parts of India (northwest and central regions) may see a reduction in rain in the coming days. However, due to the monsoon trough, Himalayan foothills are likely to be impacted the most by heavy rainfall. Therefore, states like Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, and parts of northeast India may witness rainfall in the last week of August.

‘UTTARAKHAND, HIMACHAL PRADESH RAINFALL’

With the shifting of the monsoon trough northward, heavy rainfall activity is expected in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, north Bihar, and parts of northeast India. The forecast could be alarming as the states face another possible deluge and landslides.

yesterday, the IMD issued an orange alert for Dehradun, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Bageshwar districts while a yellow alert has been issued for Haridwar, Tehri, Chamoli, Udham Singh Nagar, and Pithoragarh districts.

This year more than 300 people have died in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh and nearly 100 hundreds in Uttarakhand.

According to a report by the Hindustan Times, Himachal Pradesh’s state disaster management authority DC Rana said that the government was prepared to deal with any situation. he said that they have kept rescue teams on standby in landslide-prone areas. Besides, men and machines have been put in place to restore the roads in case of blockades.

Uttarakhand State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) is also prepared for any rain-related mishaps. 560 SDRF personnel have been deployed at 42 locations.

SDRF commandant Manikant Mishra told HT, ” We remain ready with the raft, deep diving equipment, sonar system, drones, thermal imaging cameras, and other advanced types of equipment to deal with any situation”.

Updated: 22 Aug 2023, 07:20 AM IST