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Monsoon havoc in Himachal Pradesh has claimed 298 lives since June 20, with landslides, flash floods, and road accidents causing major casualties.
A damaged structure at a cloudburst-hit village, in Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh (Photo: PTI)
The monsoon mayhem in Himachal Pradesh has claimed the lives of 298 people since June 20, comprising 152 fatalities due to rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods, and house collapses, and 146 deaths in road accidents during the same period, data released by the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) stated.
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The local meteorological office has issued a yellow warning for heavy rain in isolated areas of two to seven districts in the state till August 30.
According to the weather department, heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected in the next 12 hours in various parts of Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Kinnaur, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Sirmaur, Solan, and Una districts.
All educational institutions in Mandi, Kullu, Una, Chamba, and Kangra districts were also ordered shut for Monday.
The SDMA data also stated that monsoon-triggered disruptions continued to batter Himachal Pradesh on Sunday, with 482 roads, including two national highways, blocked, 941 electricity distribution transformers out of service, and 95 water supply schemes disrupted across the state.
Of the roads that were closed, 245 were in the Mandi district and 102 in the adjoining Kullu. National Highway 154A (Chamba-Pathankot) and NH 305 (the Aut-Sainj road) are also closed, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) stated.
The road from Pathankot to the Mandi highway got choked between Kandwal and Jachh in the Nurpur area of Kangra district as it turned into a drain following rains, bringing traffic to a standstill for hours.
The worst-hit stretch was near Chhatrauli, where waterlogging on a diversion created for an under-construction flyover halted traffic.
Water entered houses in Nagabari village in the Nurpur Assembly constituency following a flood in a “nallah” (drain), and the residents alleged negligence in highway construction for the chaos. They also alleged poor drainage planning.
Moderate to heavy rains lashed several parts of the state since Saturday night, with Pandoh recording the highest rainfall of 123 mm, followed by 105 mm in Kasauli, 104.6 mm in Jot and 100 mm each in Mandi and Neri.
Sundernagar logged 69.8 mm rainfall, followed by 68 mm in Karsog, 60.8 mm in Una, 54 mm in Jogindernagar, 52.8 mm in Nadaun, 44.7 mm in Baggi, 44.6 mm in Dharampur and 50 mm in Manali.
Thunderstorms occurred in Sundernagar, Shimla, Bhuntar, Jot, Murari Devi, Jubbarhatti and Kangra, the MeT office said.
Since the onset of monsoon in Himachal Pradesh on June 20, at least 155 people have died in rain-related incidents and 37 have gone missing, the SEOC informed.
The state has witnessed 77 flash floods, 40 cloudbursts and 79 major landslides so far and incurred losses to the tune of Rs 2,348 crore in rain-related incidents, it said.
The state has received 662.3 mm of average rainfall during the current monsoon season from June 1 to August 24 against an average of 571.4 mm, an excess of 16 per cent.
ALSO READ | Himachal Nurse Dares Death To Give Life-Saving Injection To 2-Month-Old Baby
About the Author
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
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