Shimla, 16 August: The monsoon continues to wreak havoc in Himachal Pradesh. Amidst a yellow alert, heavy rain in various parts of the state on Friday night has severely affected daily life. In Sunni, near Shimla, the Sutlej river surged, leading to flood-like conditions. Water entered the local ITI, forest rest house, and sewage treatment plant. Authorities have completely closed the Sunni bridge and strictly advised residents to stay away from the river. In Kangra district, water released from Pong Dam has made the situation worse. In Mand Bhograwan village, the rising level of the Beas river submerged several acres of land and swept away part of a multi-storey building. Timely evacuation by the administration prevented a major tragedy.
According to the Meteorological Department, a yellow alert for heavy rain remains in force across the state till 19 August. On Saturday, heavy rainfall is expected in Una, Chamba, Kangra, Shimla, and Sirmaur districts, while the weather is likely to remain unstable till 22 August. However, no alert has been issued for 20 to 22 August. Bilaspur’s Naina Devi recorded the highest rainfall last night at 160 mm, followed by Palampur (Kangra) 101 mm, Pandoh 72 mm, Mandi 62 mm, Kothi 48 mm, and Malran 35 mm.
Landslides triggered by heavy rainfall continue to increase, severely impacting roads, electricity, and drinking water supply. According to the State Emergency Operations Centre, as of Saturday morning, two national highways and 374 roads are closed across the state, with Mandi district alone accounting for 203 of these roads. Kullu has 79 affected roads, Kangra 25, Chamba 20, and Sirmaur 17. National Highway 305 in Kullu is closed near Jahed Khang, while NH-5 is blocked in Kinnaur. The Chandigarh-Manali highway also faces traffic disruptions due to landslides from Mandi to Panarsa.
The power and water supply have been badly hit. A total of 524 electricity transformers are down, including 458 in Mandi, 27 in Kullu, and 24 in Kinnaur. Similarly, 145 water schemes are stalled, affecting 44 in Mandi, 41 in Kangra, 24 in Chamba, and 21 in Hamirpur.
According to the daily report from the Emergency Operations Centre, this monsoon season has claimed 257 lives, with 37 people missing and 331 injured. The highest number of deaths has occurred in Mandi district (47), followed by Kangra (40), Chamba (30), Shimla (25), Kullu (22), Kinnaur (21), Hamirpur and Solan (16 each), Una (14), Bilaspur (10), Sirmaur (9), and Lahaul-Spiti (7). So far, 2,367 houses have been damaged, with 563 completely destroyed. Additionally, 359 shops and 2,157 cowsheds have been wiped out. Mandi district alone has seen damage to 1,255 houses, of which 430 have been fully demolished.
According to government estimates, losses have crossed ₹2,144 crore, with the Public Works Department suffering the highest loss of ₹1,188 crore and the Jal Shakti Department facing a loss of ₹697 crore. So far, 61 landslides, 72 flood events, and 34 cloudbursts have been reported in the state.
My name is Bhupendra Singh Chundawat. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including technology, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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