Heavy rains cause landslides, flash floods, and car accidents all over Himachal Pradesh, killing hundreds of people and damaging important infrastructure.
Shimla, August 21: The monsoon’s fury continues to destroy Himachal Pradesh, and since June 20, the total number of deaths has reached an incredible 276. The Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HPSDMA) said that 143 people died because of disasters caused by rain, like landslides, flash floods, and houses falling down. During this rough season, 133 people also died in traffic accidents.
The constant rain has not only killed people, but it has also shut down big areas of the hill state. HPSDMA says that in the last 24 hours, 366 roads have been blocked, 929 power lines have been cut off, and 139 water supply systems have stopped working.
The devastation has been especially bad in the Mandi and Kullu districts, where landslides and roads sinking have happened many times. National Highway-305 in Kullu and NH-154 in Mandi are still closed, which means that no one can move. Also, important roads that connect Mandi, Kullu, Kangra, Sirmaur, and Chamba are now blocked.
In Kullu, the issue is affecting a lot of people. There are 125 blocked roads, 281 broken transformers, and 56 disrupted water delivery schemes. Mandi is also feeling the effects, with 174 roads closed, 98 transformers down, and 60 water supply schemes broken.
Reports from the field all around the state depict a dark picture. Lug Valley, Manikaran, Sainj, Jibhi, the Mandi–Jogindernagar stretch, and Thangi–Charang in Kinnaur are still completely cut off. There are restoration teams on the ground, but progress has been very slow because of new landslides and constant rain that make rescue and repair work harder.
Authorities have issued stern warnings telling people to stay away from unnecessary travel, especially on dangerous portions. The state government has cautioned that more problems could happen in the next several days because the monsoon system is still going strong.
For the hill state, which is still recuperating from last year’s disastrous monsoon, this season has once again been a terrible reminder of how powerful nature can be and how weak mountain infrastructure can be.