Landslides Shut Down 4 National Highways and 383 Roads in Himachal; Orange and Yellow Alerts Until August 8

Shimla, August 2 (H.S.) — Continuous heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh has severely disrupted normal life, with the Meteorological Centre in Shimla issuing further alerts for the coming days. A yellow alert remains in effect for various parts of the state until August 3, while an orange alert has been issued for August 4 and 5 due to the likelihood of heavy to very heavy rainfall. Another yellow alert will be in place from August 6 to 8. The public has been urged to remain vigilant and stay in safe locations.

Between Friday evening and Saturday morning, Una district recorded the highest rainfall at 222 mm, causing the Swan River to swell. Rainwater entered homes and shops, and waterlogging disrupted traffic across the city. In response, the Una district administration declared a holiday on August 2 for all government and private schools, colleges, ITIs, training centres, and Anganwadi centres.

Rainfall has wreaked havoc in several other districts as well. Chamba’s Jot recorded 158 mm, Nangal Dam 145 mm, Bilaspur 120 mm, Bhattiyat 96 mm, Olinda 78 mm, Nadaun 73 mm, Barthin 69 mm, Sujanpur Tira 68 mm, Dehra Gopipur 67 mm, Chamba town 66 mm, Dharamshala 64 mm, and Nahan and Ghumarwin both recorded 62 mm of rain.

Road, Highway, Power and Water Supply Disrupted

Due to heavy rainfall and landslides, many roads and highways across the state have been closed. According to the State Emergency Operations Centre, as of Saturday morning, 4 national highways and 383 roads were closed. These include NH-305 and NH-3 in Kullu, NH-21 in Mandi, and NH-505 in Lahaul-Spiti. In addition, 186 roads are blocked in Mandi, 89 in Chamba, and 67 in Kullu.

Power and water supplies have also been impacted. A total of 747 electricity transformers and 249 drinking water schemes are currently affected across the state. In Una alone, 205 transformers are out of service. Kullu has 188 and Chamba 171 non-functional transformers. Drinking water schemes have been disrupted in 93 locations in Chamba, 60 in Kangra, and 26 in Una.

Manali Cut Off Due to Landslides

The upper reaches of Manali, a popular tourist destination, are facing serious challenges due to ongoing rains. The Manali-Kelong road near Atal Tunnel is closed to traffic, and the Manali-Rohtang-Kelong route is also blocked near Banta Mod due to a landslide. Authorities are working to restore these routes.

Monsoon Toll: 176 Dead, 1,526 Homes Damaged

Since the beginning of the monsoon season on June 20, a total of 176 people have died due to rain, landslides, and floods. Another 281 have been injured and 36 remain missing. Mandi district has reported the highest number of deaths (35), followed by Kangra (28), Kullu (18), Chamba (17), Shimla (15), Solan (12), Hamirpur, Kinnaur, and Una (11 each), Bilaspur (8), Lahaul-Spiti (6), and Sirmaur (4).

So far this monsoon, Himachal has experienced 28 cloudbursts, 47 flash floods, and 42 major landslides. A total of 1,526 houses have been damaged, of which 443 have collapsed completely. Mandi alone has seen 1,073 houses affected and 386 fully destroyed.

The total loss to the state is estimated at ₹1,678 crore, with the Public Works Department suffering losses worth ₹865 crore and the Jal Shakti Department ₹567 crore.