Delhi river reaches record high in monsoon floods

Delhi river reaches record high in monsoon floods
by AFP Staff Writers
New Delhi (AFP) July 14, 2023

The river running through India's capital New Delhi has reached a record high due to monsoon floods, authorities said Friday as army engineers were deployed to try to contain the waters.

The Yamuna river was flowing in an "#EXTREME FLOOD SITUATION", India's central water commission tweeted, having reached a record width of 208.66 metres late on Thursday.

The figure surpassed the previous mark of 207.49 metres, reached in 1978, and the flows threatened low-lying neighbourhoods in the megacity of more than 20 million people.

Flooding and landslides are common and cause widespread devastation during India's treacherous monsoon season, but experts say climate change is increasing their frequency and severity.

Authorities deployed army engineers around a barrage and thousands of people have moved to temporary relief camps or nearby elevated roads as areas close to the riverbank were inundated over the past 48 hours.

All schools, colleges, and non-essential government offices have been ordered to remain shut till at least Sunday as several key roads and bridges are also under water.

Delhi's chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that state personnel and army engineers were working to "try to ensure that the flood waters do not enter the [main areas of the] city", but warned that more rain was forecast for Saturday.

Conditions in Delhi may depend on the situation in several upstream northern states which have received heavy to very heavy rains in the last few days.

At least 90 people have lost their lives in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Haryana in recent days, according to local media reports.

Tens of thousands of people have been stranded, with key roads, power lines and communication networks disrupted in the regions because of rain-triggered landslides and floods.

The monsoon brings South Asia around 80 percent of its annual rainfall, which is key to both agriculture and the livelihoods of millions, but brings with it natural disasters every year.

Heavy rains, flooding leave 22 dead in South Korea
Seoul (AFP) July 15, 2023 - At least 22 people have died and 14 more are missing after heavy rain caused flooding and landslides in South Korea, officials said Saturday, with thousands more ordered to evacuate their homes.

South Korea is at the peak of its summer monsoon season and there has been heavy rainfall for the last three days, triggering widespread flooding and landslides, and causing a major dam to overflow.

The interior ministry reported that 22 people had been killed and another 14 were missing in the heavy downpours, mostly buried by landslides or after falling into a flooded reservoir.

The majority of the casualties -- including 16 dead and nine missing -- come from North Gyeongsang province, largely due to massive landslides in the mountainous area that engulfed houses with people inside.

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency had earlier reported 24 deaths, citing local disaster relief officials.

In the most severely affected areas, "entire houses were swept away whole", one emergency responder told Yonhap.

More than 6,400 residents in the central county of Goesan were ordered to evacuate early Saturday as the Goesan Dam began overflowing and submerging low-lying villages nearby, the interior ministry said.

Some of the people who have been reported missing were swept away when a river overflowed in North Gyeongsang province, the ministry said.

Rescue workers were battling to reach some 19 cars which were trapped in an underground tunnel in Cheongju, North Chungcheong province, where one person was found dead, according to Yonhap.

Flash flooding swept through the area too quickly for people to escape, but water levels remain high and it is unclear how many people were trapped inside their vehicles, Yonhap reported.

The number of deaths is expected to rise as local government agencies assess the damage nationwide, the news agency said.

All regular train services nationwide were suspended as of 2 pm (0500 GMT), although KTX high-speed trains remained operational with potential schedule adjustments, according to the Korea Railroad Corporation.

Roads were closed and trails in national parks shut due to the rain and flooding.

The Korea Meteorological Administration issued heavy rain warnings, saying more rain was forecast through to Wednesday next week, saying the weather conditions pose a "grave" danger.

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo urged officials to preempt river overflows and landslides, and requested support for rescue operations from the defence ministry.