New Delhi: New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday observed that the unprecedented landslides and floods in rain-affected states of Punjab, Uttarakhand,
Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir this season were due to ecological crisis precipitated due to rampant felling of trees for illegal construction. The top court issued notice to the Centre, NDMA and the affected states directing them to list the measures taken to address the matter. The states have been asked to reply to the notice within three weeks. "We have seen unprecedented landslides and floods in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. From the media reports it is noticed that in the flood a huge number of wood was flowing along. Prima facie it appears that there has been illegal felling of trees. Thus issue notice to respondents. Returnable in two weeks. Liberty to serve central agencies. NHAI is a party," CJI BR Gavai said. The top court asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to ensure remedial measures. "SG please take note of this. It appears a very serious issue," the bench headed by CJI Gavai said. In his reply, SG Mehta expressed urgency to examine the cause of the monsoon mayhem and address it. "We have interfered with nature so much so that it is giving back. We need to examine the causes," he said. 21 River Sites in Severe Flood, 33 Above Normal Across India Twenty-one monitoring stations, including one in Delhi, have reported rivers in "severe flood situation," while 33 others are flowing above the normal level, according to the Central Water Commission (CWC). The nationwide flood alert comes amid heavy rainfall forecasts for several states in the coming days. Of the 21 severe flood locations, nine are in Bihar, eight in Uttar Pradesh and one each in Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, and Jharkhand. The 33 above-normal sites are spread across Uttar Pradesh (9), Bihar (7), Assam (7), Uttarakhand (2), Odisha (2), Telangana (2), and one each in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and West Bengal. In Delhi, the Yamuna at the railway bridge site is in severe flood conditions. Northern hill states remain on high alert. Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are set to receive very heavy to extremely heavy rain, with sudden water level rises expected in the Beas, Sutlej, Chenab, Ravi, Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers. In Jammu and Kashmir, flooding risks are high in the Chenab, Tawi, Jhelum and Indus basins, particularly in Kishtwar, Doda, Kathua, Anantnag, and Pulwama districts. Punjab and Haryana are bracing for inflows in the Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Ghaggar and Yamuna rivers, while in Uttar Pradesh, the Ganga, Yamuna, Ghagra, Ramganga, and Sharda rivers are expected to continue rising in multiple districts.
In Bihar, several stretches of the Ganga, Kosi, Gandak, and Burhi Gandak remain in severe flood, particularly in Bhagalpur, Patna, Khagaria, and Siwan.
Assam is witnessing above-normal to severe conditions in the Buridehing and Beki, while Jharkhand has reported a severe flood in the Ganga at Sahibganj.
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Chhattisgarh are reporting rising levels in the Tapi, Narmada, Mahi, Krishna, and Mahanadi basins.
Major reservoirs such as Ukai, Sardar Sarovar, Tehri, Hathnikund, Koyna, and Hirakud are expected to receive above-threshold inflows.
In the south, dams in the Cauvery basin, including Mettur, Kabini, Hemavathi and Krishnarajasagar, are nearly full, raising concerns of downstream flooding if heavy rainfall persists.
With inputs from PTI
