Himachal monsoon havoc: Heavy rains force closure of 484 roads; yellow alert till August 30 | India News
Heavy rains over the weekend have battered Himachal Pradesh, closing hundreds of roads, cutting power and water supply, and flooding several homes.Officials said on Sunday that a total of 484 roads, including two national highways, have been closed for vehicular traffic as moderate to heavy showers continue across the state.The local meteorological office has issued a “yellow” warning for heavy rainfall in isolated areas of two to seven districts until August 30. Mandi district reported the highest number of closures with 245 roads blocked, followed by 102 in neighbouring Kullu. National Highway 154A (Chamba–Pathankot) and NH 305 (the Aut–Sainj road) are among those shut, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).The road linking Pathankot to Mandi came to a halt between Kandwal and Jachh in Nurpur in Kangra district after it turned into a drain following intense rainfall. The worst-affected stretch was near Chhatrauli, where waterlogging on a diversion created for an under-construction flyover caused hours of traffic standstill. The flooding also entered homes in Nagabari village in the Nurpur Assembly constituency after a local “nallah” (drain) overflowed. Residents alleged negligence in highway construction and poor drainage planning for the chaos. Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Arun Sharma confirmed the water had entered several houses, saying he was inspecting the affected areas. He added that National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were on alert and traffic had been temporarily stopped to prevent casualties. Beyond the roads, the downpour has disrupted 941 power transformers and 95 water-supply schemes across the hill state, officials said.Since Saturday night, Pandoh recorded the highest rainfall at 123 mm, followed by 105 mm in Kasauli, 104.6 mm in Jot and 100 mm each in Mandi and Neri. Sundernagar saw 69.8 mm, while Karsog logged 68 mm, Una 60.8 mm, Jogindernagar 54 mm, Nadaun 52.8 mm, Baggi 44.7 mm, Dharampur 44.6 mm and Manali 50 mm. Thunderstorms were also reported in Sundernagar, Shimla, Bhuntar, Jot, Murari Devi, Jubbarhatti and Kangra, according to the MeT office. The rains have added to an already grim monsoon season in Himachal Pradesh. Since June 20, at least 155 people have died in rain-related incidents and 37 remain missing, the SEOC reported. The state has so far witnessed 77 flash floods, 40 cloudbursts and 79 major landslides, with damages estimated at Rs 2,348 crore. From June 1 to August 24, Himachal Pradesh has received 662.3 mm of rainfall against the seasonal average of 571.4 mm, an excess of 16%.
