Every year monsoon causes mayhem in parts of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. On Monday, flash floods caused by heavy rains swept through the streets of Bhagsunag village, in Himachal Pradesh’s Dharamshala district, damaging parked vehicles.
The administration said there was a cloudburst in Mcloedganj near Dharamshala.
Moreover, vehicles were ensnared in floodwater and two buildings got swept away in the tragedy. Other areas adjoining Dharamshala are reported to be damaged.
Amit Shah, Union Home Minister had spoken to the Himachal Chief Minister Thakur about the calamity.
He advised him to monitor the situation arising due to the floods in several districts of the state and assured him of all possible help from the Centre.
Flash flood has also cut the Passu-Shilla link road in many places. And JCBs were sent to Bhagsunag to help the vehicles that were stuck in the mud.
Also, the disaster damaged a bridge on the Mandi-Pathankot highway. This led to a traffic jam as the vehicles stopped on both sides.
People were instructed not to go to landslide prone areas or any other sensitive place. Some were even evacuated to safer places due to flood conditions.
States such as Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand are also experiencing heavy rains, from where landslides have also been reported.
What are cloudbursts and what causes them?
A cloudburst is a sudden event of extreme rainfall happening for a very short period. It dumps momentous amounts of water over a vastly confined area.
It is caused due to a phenomenon called orographic lift. This means when a mass of air is forced to move up to higher ground from low ground.
Adiabatic cooling increases the humidity, which can create clouds as well as very heavy rainfall.
Furthermore, certain events consist of sudden condensation. It is a result of the mixing of a warm air parcel with cooler air and is also called cloudbursts.
Devastating thunderstorms also accompany a cloudburst sometimes. But this phenomenon usually occurs in India during the monsoon season.
