MeT issues yellow warning for heavy rain in Himachal, 566 roads closed

Amid a yellow warning for heavy rain across four districts, moderate to heavy rain lashed several parts of Himachal Pradesh and a total of 566 roads, including two national highways, have been closed in the state, officials said on Thursday. Kangana Ranaut, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Mandi Lok Sabha, on Thursday visited the disaster-affected areas of Solang and Palchan in the Manali subdivision of Himachal's Kullu district, interacted with the affected residents and took stock of the situation. The actor-turned-politician was briefed on the infrastructural and other damages by BJP leader and former MLA from Manali, Govind Singh Thakur, along with residents. Singh mentioned that families from 15 to 16 endangered houses have been relocated to safer locations. Locals informed the MP that the entire Solang village is at risk of landsliding, as the Beas river is eroding the mountain on which the village sits. They suggested that channelising the water to divert the river's course would be a necessary immediate remedy. The local Meteorological (MeT) office has issued a yellow warning for heavy rain, thunderstorms, and lightning in isolated areas of Bilaspur, Kangra, Mandi, and Sirmaur on Thursday.

Thunderstorms were witnessed in Shimla, Kangra, Palampur, Murari Devi and Sundernagar while gusty winds with wind speed ranging between 33 to 35 kmph lashed Tabo and Bajaura, the MeT said. A total of 566 roads, including the NH 3 (Attari-Leh road) and the NH-503A (Amritsar-Bhota road), were closed on Thursday morning. A maximum of 203 roads have been closed in Mandi, followed by 156 in Kullu and 50 in Shimla district, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC). Since the onset of monsoon this year, the Himalayan state has witnessed 46 cloudbursts, 98 flash floods and 145 major landslides, while 419 people have died. Of those dead, 237 lost their lives in rain-related incidents and 182 in road accidents. About 479 people have suffered injuries, while 45 are still missing. The SEOC also reported that 525 power transformers and 281 water supply schemes have been affected, leading to approximate losses of Rs 4,593 crore, so far. The data indicates that 1,521 houses were destroyed, while 6,789 suffered partial damage.