Hill states make headlines but Bihar tops monsoon toll | India News – Times of India

Death, as often reported, is not just a matter of facts and numbers but also, or perhaps more so, a matter of dramatic visuals.
So it is that Himachal and Uttarakhand, with their mountains, popular hill stations, and winding roads (even if some have cracks now) would appear to many as having suffered the worst casualties this monsoon – but for all the dramatic photos and videos the media’s carried, it is Bihar that tops the grim list of those dead from floods and drowning, according to MHA data,
That Bihar’s big death toll (518), compared to Himachal’s 330, received so little attention is essentially a matter of magnifying the dramatic.Even the startling fact that 160 of the 518 dead in Bihar perished to lightning has received little notice. But every landslide in thehill states is on prime time.
Rains claim over 2,000 lives in India; 100+ toll in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra
Across the country, rains have claimed 2,038 lives as of Thursday. Other states with high flood casualties include Gujarat (165), Madhya Pradesh (138), Karnataka and Maharashtra (both 107), Chhattisgarh (90) and Uttarakhand (75).
Punjab and Rajasthan have reported 56 and 52 deaths respectively.

According to a report by the disaster management department of the home ministry, four columns of Army’s Infantry brigade have been deployed in Kangra (Himachal Pradesh) besides 18 teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for rescue operations.
There’s, unsurprisingly, much more granular information in Himachal and Uttarakhand. All the 12 districts in Himachal have been affected by flash floods, landslides and cloudbursts.
On Monday night, the Pong dam authority (Bhakra Beas Management Board) released 1.5 lakh cusecs of water resulting in severe flooding in Indora and Fatehpur areas in Kangra district.

More than 2,000 people have been rescued and evacuated by Indian Air Force helicopters with the help of Army, NDRF, SDRF and local administration and shifted to relief camps.
Himachal has been the worst hit with 38 landslides reported in the last five days. Heavy rainfall and cloudbursts have made rescue operations difficult, leading to large casualties.
In Uttarakhand, 25 landslides were reported in the last five days. “In these incidents, 12 people have died, 118 rescued and 17 are missing,” the home ministry report said. Cloudburst led to flash floods and landslides in the state, affecting at least seven districts. Flood-like situation continues to prevail in Dehradun, Udham Singh Nagar, Tehri, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar.

Watch Incessant rain increases water level of rivers in Bihar