Thursday, 21 October 2021 | PNS | Dehradun/New Delhi
As rain subsided in Uttarakhand after taking lives of over 50 people and damaging properties worth hundreds of crores, the “char dham” yatra resumed on Wednesday. The “char dham” pilgrimage was suspended for three days, from October 17 to 19, amid warning of heavy rainfall in the hill State during this period.
At least 14 people, including eight trekkers from West Bengal and Delhi, have gone missing at separate places in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district amid snowfall.
After its late withdrawal from northwest India, the southwest monsoon remains active over some parts of the country. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the southwest monsoon will withdraw completely from the entire country around October 26, paving the way for the commencement of the northeast monsoon. There will be rainfall activity over Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, coastal and south Karnataka during October 20-24.
“Yamunotri-Gangotri, Kedarnath Dham Yatra has started again. However, due to the closure of Badrinath Highway near Joshimath, the Badrinath Yatra could not start at present. Badrinath Yatra will also become smooth soon,” Uttarakhand Police tweeted.
The decision to start “char dham” yatra was taken after Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami took the review meeting following an aerial review of Garhwal and Kumaon.
According to Uttarakhand Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board, more than one thousand pilgrims stranded in Son Prayag and Lincholi have proceeded to Kedarnath temple after the administration allowed the yatra. Pilgrims for Badrinath yatra have been stopped at Joshimath and Pipalkoti due to landslide and heavy rains.
According to the IMD, the southwest monsoon withdrawal line currently passes through Kohima, Silchar, Krishnanagar, Baripada, Malkangiri, Nalgonda, Bagalkote, and Vengurla. “Conditions are becoming favourable for further withdrawal of the southwest monsoon from remaining parts of northeast India, the entire north Bay of Bengal, remaining parts of West Bengal and Odisha, some parts of the central Bay of Bengal, parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, entire Goa, some more parts of Karnataka and some more parts of central Arabian Sea around October 23”, the IMD said.
“With likely setting in of northeasterly winds in the lower tropospheric levels over the Bay of Bengal and extreme south Peninsular India, the Southwest Monsoon is likely to withdraw from the entire country around 26th October 2021. Simultaneously, the Northeast Monsoon rains are also likely to commence over Southeast Peninsular India from around 26th October 2021,” it said.
The northeast monsoon brings rains over Tamil Nadu, parts of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Puducherry, and Andhra Pradesh. The withdrawal of the southwest monsoon from northwest India commenced on October 6. The retreat was the second-most delayed withdrawal of the southwest monsoon since 1975. The southwest monsoon withdrawal from northwest India in 2019 started on October 9.
The withdrawal of the southwest monsoon from northwest India usually begins on September 17. However, the southwest monsoon remains active over several parts of the country. The IMD said a cyclonic circulation lies over Bihar and neighbouring areas.
Under its influence, fairly widespread to widespread, light to moderate rainfall with isolated heavy fall and thunderstorms and lightning is very likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya, Tripura, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim on October 20 and 21 and over Gangetic West Bengal and Bihar on October 20 and (it will) reduce thereafter.
