Monsoon Fury Sweeps India: Gujarat, Himachal, Assam and Uttarakhand on High Alert

The monsoon tightened its grip on large parts of India on Friday, triggering flood alerts, emergency preparations and heightened vigilance across several states as heavy rain continued to batter the country.

From Gujarat to Assam, and from Himachal Pradesh to Uttarakhand, authorities ramped up disaster-response measures amid forecasts of more intense rainfall and rising river levels.

The sharpest warning came from Gujarat, where the state government issued a Red Alert for Surat as a weather system originating over the Bay of Bengal moved closer to the region.

Surat Municipal Commissioner M. Nagarajan said disaster-response teams had been deployed across vulnerable locations and emergency protocols activated to minimise risks.

Backing the response is Gujarat's State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), the state's 24x7 disaster-control hub, which has sent more than 286 crore SMS alerts to citizens through the SACHET early-warning system.

In Assam, where floods continue to affect several districts, a delegation of BJP MPs met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to review the situation and seek additional support for affected communities.

The MPs urged the Centre to provide 100 days of advance wages to flood-hit farmers under the VB-GRAM employment programme to help families recover from the crisis.

State Agriculture Minister Pijush Hazarika also toured flood-affected areas in Sivasagar district to review relief operations and assess assistance being provided to farmers, while the Muslim Rashtriya Manch announced financial support for the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

Further north, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an Orange Alert for Himachal Pradesh, where authorities are closely monitoring river levels despite no major flash floods being reported so far.

Officials also warned residents and tourists to stay away from the Beas River after the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) increased water releases from the Pandoh Dam, pushing river discharge to around 36,000 cusecs.

In neighbouring Uttarakhand, continuous rainfall pushed the Alaknanda River above the warning level at Rudraprayag, prompting authorities to ask residents living along riverbanks and other vulnerable areas to move to safer locations.

Municipal officials said repeated public announcements were being made to encourage precautionary evacuations as rivers and streams continued to swell.

With forecasts indicating more rain over the coming days, authorities across the affected states have urged people to remain alert, avoid flood-prone areas and follow official advisories as the monsoon enters another intense phase.

(With inputs from ANI)