In Himachal Pradesh, the monsoon has once again taken a rage. Heavy rains in many districts of the state and snowfall in high altitude areas have spoiled the situation. Meteorological Center Shimla has issued a warning, declaring red alert for Chamba and Kangra districts on 26 August, while Orange Alert for Mandi district. Along with this, a yellow alert of heavy rains has also been released in most parts of the state till 31 August.
Schools will be closed tomorrow in these districts tomorrow
In view of the alert of the Meteorological Department, besides the four districts of Mandi, Kangra, Bilaspur, Kullua Banjar and Manali Sub Division have been declared a holiday tomorrow i.e. 26 August. The administration has appealed to the people to avoid unnecessary travel and follow the warnings of the Meteorological Department.
Heavy snowfall in Lahul-Spiti, Manali and other mountainous regions
Snowfall has increased the cold in the height areas of Himachal Pradesh. Four to eight inches of snow have fallen in passes like Lahul-Spiti, Manali, Shinkula, Baralacha, Rohtang and Khardungla and the sequence of snow continues. Due to heavy snowfall at the Shinkula Pass, the Manali-Leh route has been completely blocked, causing dozens of vehicles stuck everywhere. The Lahul Valley has been raining continuously since morning and snowfall continues in the height areas.
Landslides and floods stopped pace
Due to rain, landslides occurred on the Manali-Dhundhi road, causing a big tree to fall on the road. However, the BRO (Border Roads Organization) took fast action and restored the route in a few hours. Due to heavy rains in the afternoon, there was a flood in the ‘crazy drain’, causing hundreds of vehicles to be stuck on both sides and the traffic was completely disrupted. BRO is constantly engaged in relief operations.
795 roads closed, 956 transformer stalled, 517 water schemes affected
A total of 795 roads including two national highways remained closed across the state till Monday evening. Apart from this, 956 power transformers and 517 water supply schemes are also affected. The most affected districts are Mandi, Kullu and Chamba. Rain continues intermittently in Shimla. A landslide in Tuticandi area of the capital has threatened a house, which has been ordered by the administration to vacate.
306 people killed, heavy economic losses so far
This time the monsoon has proved to be very fatal for Himachal. Between June 20 and August 25, 306 people have lost their lives, while 367 people have been injured and 38 people are still missing.
- 150 people died in road accidents, while
- The rest of the life went to incidents like cloudburst, landslides and floods.
- 3,656 damage to home and shops,
- 2,819 cowsheds damaged
- 1,843 pet animals have also died.
- The total loss figure has reached Rs 2,39,428.50 lakh (more than Rs 2,394 crore).
Administration and government in alert mode
The state government and district administration are engaged in relief work. Teams of NDRF and BRO are deployed in the affected areas. People have been appealed to be cautious about the weather, stay away from river-drains and follow the instructions of the administration.