Floods
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Cloud Precipitation

Over 20 fatalities after heavy rain and flash floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Wed, 21 Jul 2021 18:21 UTC
flood
Over 20 people have died in rain-related incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in northern Pakistan over the last 10 days.

Many of the victims died when heavy rain or floods caused roofs, walls or whole buildings to collapse. This is a regular occurrence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where fragile or poor housing leaves many communities exposed to severe weather conditions.

Heavy rain was reported in the province on 11 to 12 July 2021. Saidū Sharīf, capital of Swat District, recorded 110 mm of rain in 24 hours to 12 July and Kakul in Abbottabad district recorded 180 mm of rain during the same period according to figures provided by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).

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Boat

Best of the Web: At least 25 dead in Chinese province's heaviest rains in 1,000 years

Ryan Woo and Stella Qiu
Financial Post
Wed, 21 Jul 2021 11:13 UTC
A woman has been pulled out of floodwaters in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou, which has been battered by heavy rain and flooding.
A woman has been pulled out of floodwaters in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou, which has been battered by heavy rain and flooding.
At least 25 people have died in China's flood-stricken central province of Henan, a dozen of them in a subway line in its capital that was drenched by what weather officials called the heaviest rains for 1,000 years.

About 100,000 people have been evacuated in Zhengzhou, the capital, where rail and road transport have been disrupted, while dams and reservoirs have swelled to warning levels while thousands of troops launched a rescue effort in the province.

City authorities said more than 500 people were pulled to safety from the flooded subway, as social media images showed train commuters immersed in chest-deep waters in the dark and one station reduced to a large brown pool.


Comment: See also: Chinese subway passengers trapped by rising floodwaters as torrential rain pounds Henan province - 8 inches of rainfall in an hour

Interested readers in these types of events might also like to see the increasing number of such reports globally in recent times at our dedicated floods section.

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Arrow Down

Mudslides after more torrential rain in Tajikistan leave at least 10 dead - 3rd such event this year for the region


Manila Bulletin
Wed, 21 Jul 2021 10:02 UTC
mudslide
Mudslides in Tajikistan have left ten people dead and two missing, officials said Tuesday, in the latest fatal mass flow of earth caused by downpours in the impoverished ex-Soviet region.

Fatal landsides affect mountainous Central Asia every year, mostly around springtime, blocking off roads in a region lacking transport infrastructure and forcing families to rebuild homes from scratch.

"There has been torrential rain in the north of Tajikistan and a fatal mudslide occurred," the emergencies committee said in a statement.

It said flows of earth on Monday swept through the northern Sogd region, trapping people tending to livestock.


Comment: 14 killed in flash floods and mudflows in Tajikistan and Afghanistan

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Umbrella

Perth in Western Australia smashes 20-year rain record for July

Eliza McPhee
Daily Mail Australia
Tue, 20 Jul 2021 10:04 UTC
Storm clouds off the Perth coast at the beginning of July
© Daniel PardiniStorm clouds off the Perth coast at the beginning of July.
Perth has smashed its 20-year rain record for July with more wet weather on the way while Australia's south-east shivers through even more hazardous wind conditions over the coming days.

The Western Australian capital city has copped 184.2mm of rain so far this month after 18 straight days of downpour - eclipsing the previous record of 182.6mm in 2001.

The city is expected to be drenched with up to 200mm this month in total, with more than a week still to go of July.

Meanwhile, a cold front is sweeping across the south-east with hazardous wind conditions to hit New South Wales on Wednesday while Victoria and Tasmania will see icy cold temperatures and even hail.
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Cloud Precipitation

Chinese subway passengers trapped by rising floodwaters as torrential rain pounds Henan province - 8 inches of rainfall in an hour


RT
Tue, 20 Jul 2021 18:36 UTC
Zhengzhou city in central China, Henan province Tuesday, July 20, 2021.
© Getty Images / Barcroft MediaZhengzhou city in central China, Henan province Tuesday, July 20, 2021.
Subway riders in Zhengzhou in China's Henan province found themselves trapped by rising floodwaters on Tuesday as rivers burst their banks, pouring into streets and disrupting train services after 200mm of rain fell in one hour.

Footage circulating online shows subway passengers in murky, near shoulder-deep water inside a train carriage, as railway services were suspended amid the chaos caused by the deluge.

While no deaths or injuries have been reported, transport infrastructure in the province has been seriously affected by severe storms and heavy rain since the weekend. Henan is a major regional transport hub, but roads and tunnels have become extremely waterlogged, with cars and buses seen floating in the murky floodwater in some areas, while torrents of water were seen spreading throughout the streets.

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German officials left dams full for weeks even with heavy rains forecasted

P Gosselin
NoTricksZone
Sun, 18 Jul 2021 18:32 UTC
Officials left dams full to the brim at least 3 weeks long during a rainy period and then failed to undertake a controlled release even when 150 mm of rain were forecast 4 days before the floods.
Dam in Germany
© Photo by: Hahnenkleer/Wikipedia
Now they want to hide their gross incompetence and blame climate change.

Yesterday I posted how Germany's flood disaster could have been prevented in large part, especially in terms of lives lost. The latest death toll has risen to over 150.

Although the heavy rains had been forecast days in advance, nothing was done to avert the inevitable destruction. Instead of taking responsibility, politicians are blaming climate change in a bid to shift attention away from their incompetence and gross negligence.
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Fire

'Historic rainfall': Explosion at aluminum plant in China caused by severe flooding

John Feng
Newsweek
Tue, 20 Jul 2021 04:15 UTC
china factory explosion Dengfeng
© WeiboThese screen grabs from social media videos captured on July 20, 2021, reportedly show an aluminum alloy plant in Dengfeng, Henan, China, exploding after being breached by floodwaters.
Dramatic footage from central China reportedly captured the moment an aluminum alloy plant exploded in a giant fireball on Tuesday after severe flooding in the region caused a breach of the factory walls.

In a statement released online, the municipal government of Dengfeng, a city in Henan province, said no casualties or missing persons had been reported as of 10 a.m. local time (10 p.m. ET on Monday), following the blast at a local aluminum alloy company owned by Dengfeng Power Group Co. Ltd.

Comment: As a sign of how extreme this weather system was, it's likely that it also caused the collapse of two dams in the country.

However, explosions and fires at industrial sites have been in the news with an increasing frequency, although, notably, unlike the incident mentioned above, not all of them can be as easily explained; it's also likely that not all of them are related to Earth Changes: See also: SOTT Exclusive: The growing threat of underground fires and explosions

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Cloud Precipitation

Best of the Web: Two dams collapse following torrential rain in China's Inner Mongolia


RT
Mon, 19 Jul 2021 10:36 UTC
mogolia flood
© Getty Images / CostfotoHulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, China, July 18, 2021.
Two dams in Inner Mongolia's Hulunbuir have collapsed following torrential rain, according to an announcement from China's water ministry on Monday, citing concerns about the safety risks of aging infrastructure in the region.

The two dams failed on Sunday afternoon after a torrential downpour saw 87 millimeters of rainfall in the area over the weekend and 223 millimeters at a nearby monitoring station. As one of the dams reached maximum capacity, water came over the top before the entire infrastructure was washed away in minutes, resulting in substantial damage.

A video shared by a Chinese individual online shows the moment that water breached the banks of a dam and began flooding out of the reservoir.

Comment: The dams may be in need of repair but it's likely that, as we're seeing all over the world, the sheer amount of rain was a significant factor behind their collapse: Also check out SOTT radio's:

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Boat

New Zealand - Emergency declared as hundreds evacuate floods in Marlborough Region - up to a foot of rain in 48 hours

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Mon, 19 Jul 2021 15:35 UTC
Floods in Marlborough New Zealand, July 2021.
© Marlborough District CouncilFloods in Marlborough New Zealand, July 2021.
Hundreds of people evacuated their homes after severe flooding in the Marlborough Region of New Zealand from 16 July 2021. The District of Marlborough has declared a state of emergency.

Some areas of the region recorded more than 300mm of rain in 48 hours to 18 July 2021. Onamalutu recorded 212mm of rain in 24 hours on 17 July. Tunakino Valley recorded 103.5 mm the previous day.

River levels jumped and officials said it was the largest ever recorded flood in the region. The Wairau River at Barnetts Bank reached 8.946 metres and a peak flow of 6,040 cubic metres per second on 17 July.

Deputy Mayor Nadine Taylor said "Our stop bank network held up very well considering this is our largest ever recorded flood - a far bigger event than the previous biggest in 1983. The Council has invested a lot in river flood protection works since 1983 - this was a test of the quality of that work. We kept everyone safe and that was our number one priority."

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Cloud Precipitation

At least 33 killed in Mumbai landslides and floods - up to 10 inches of rain falls in 24 hours (UPDATE)

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Sun, 18 Jul 2021 11:53 UTC
Rescuers in Mumbai after landslide and rain caused houses to collapse.
© Maharashtra NDRFRescuers in Mumbai after landslide and rain caused houses to collapse.
Heavy Monsoon rainfall in western India has caused widespread damage and triggered flash floods and several landslides in part of the country's largest city, Mumbai.

Mumbai International Airport recorded 235 mm of rain in 24 hours to 18 July, 2021, while the weather station at Mumbai-Colaba recorded 197 mm. Surrounding areas of Maharashtra state have also seen heavy rainfall, including Ratnagiri which saw 256 mm of rain during the same period.

Officials reported several home were destroyed in the Mumbai suburbs of Chembur and Vikhroli as a result of the heavy rain and rain-triggered landslides on 18 July.

Rescuers were working frantically to find survivors. According to the latest assessments, at least 14 bodies have been retrieved from the collapsed buildings in Chembur, while 6 people have lost their lives in Vikhroli. Dozens of people were reportedly injured. Rescue teams fear more victims are likely trapped inside.


Comment: View also: Heavy rainfall in parts of Mumbai, local trains hit, flooded roads, big jams - up to 5.5 inches of rain in 5 hours

Update: The Business Standard reports on July 19:
As Mumbai slept, rain fury killed 33 people, hit road, rail, air traffic

At least 33 people were killed in different incidents as rain fury rocked Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region since midnight, hitting road, rail and air traffic for several hours, the BMC Disaster Control said here on Sunday.

As Mumbai snoozed peacefully, the skies suddenly opened up with thunder, lightning and heavy cloudburst-like rains measuring between 197 mm to over 235 mm in some areas, as per the IMD Mumbai.

The incessant downpour lasting 4-5 hours resulted in heavy waterlogging in many lowlying areas of Mumbai and MMR, besides crippling road, rail and air traffic for hours.

Waterlogged streets at Parel after heavy rains in Mumbai
© PTIWaterlogged streets at Parel after heavy rains in Mumbai
In the worst tragedy, a retaining wall of the BARC Complex here collapsed at Vashi Naka, New Bharat Nagar in the Chembur area around 1 a.m., crushing several homes and burying many people under the soil and rubble.

Till evening, at least 19 persons were reported dead and some more still missing with sniffer dogs deployed to trace them by the rescue teams.

In another incident, at least 10 people perished when a few hutments caved in the Suryanagar slums in Vikhroli east.

A 16-year-old boy Soham M. Thorat was killed when the wall of his home collapsed early on Sunday, while a 26-year-old youth Salim M. Patel was electrocuted in his sweetmeat shop in Andheri west, while one man drowned in a ditch in Thane.

Around another 12 persons, injured in all these incidents, have been rushed to various hospitals and are undergoing treatment, with their condition described as stable.

Maharashtra Minorities Affairs Minister Nawab Malik, Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray and Leader of Opposition Pravin Darekar, senior civil and police officials rushed to these spots to supervise the rescue and relief operations.

President Ram Nath Kovind expressed grief over the tragedies while Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray mourned the loss of lives and announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh, respectively.

Speaking to the media, Malik said that a retaining wall of the BARC complex here collapsed due to heavy rains triggering the landslide on the small hillock which buried around a dozen hutments below, resulting in the massive tragedy.

Thackeray said that the government would extend all possible help to the victims and the injured, adding no politics should be played on the disasters.

Darekar accused the BMC of lapses and not being concerned about people's safety, while the Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Preeti Sharma-Menon slammed the civic body for making false claims of monsoon preparedness.

Stunned locals pointed out how rescue efforts were hampered owing to heavy flooding, muck, a narrow approach road which prevented fire brigade, police and medical vans from reaching the affected spots. This forced the rescue teams to work in groups manually shifting the mound of rubble to locate the victims.

Till this evening, the BMC's gauges recorded rainfall of 177 mm in South Mumbai, 205 mm in Eastern Suburbs and 195 mm in Western Suburbs, and the IMD has forecast heavy rains with strong winds over the next five days.

CM Thackeray ordered officials to pay special attention to hilly areas, low-lying parts prone to landslides or floods and take appropriate measure to prevent tragedies, while the BMC will work round-the-clock to monitor developments.

In many areas, people reported waist-deep water with the flood waters entering the ground floor homes or shops in the vulnerable or low-lying areas.

The downpour, which started around midnight, continued virtually non-stop with waterlogging or flooding in most parts of Mumbai, besides the coastal Konkan districts of Raigad, Thane, Palghar, parts of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg.

Owing to inclement weather, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport operations were suspended for nearly four hours from 12.42 am to 5.24 am, resulting in 9 flights being diverted to other locations, according to a spokesperson.

The rains hit suburban train services with WR lines flooding at Nalla Sopara and Virar, and the CR tracks getting submerged at Dadar, Sion, Kurla, Parel, Chunabhatti and Tilaknagar.

By 7 a.m. as the water levels receded from the railway tracks, the WR resumed services between Churchgate and Borivali and the CR started services on the mainline and Harbour Line.

The BMC said there were 11 incidents of house/wall crashes, waterlogging or flooding was reported in at least 31 localities across Mumbai, including the regular hotspots and the east-west subways in the western suburbs.

However, being a Sunday, the rain's repercussions were not felt much for the commuters with most people remaining indoors but nature enthusiasts like Nitin Sunderji Shah cautiously ventured to the ravaged Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) for his morning jog.

After muddy flood waters entered the Bhandup Water Treatment Plant, the BMC announced water shortages in some parts of the city till repairs are completed and urged people to use water sparingly.

The IMD Mumbai has warned of more rains during the next couple of days, including a few very heavy spells for which the BMC, NDRF, Police, Fire Brigade and other agencies are on high alert in Mumbai and the entire coastal Konkan region.


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