Eighteen people including three children have been killed due to heavy rainfall-related incidents across Himachal Pradesh.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Sunday said that the state has witnessed torrential rains during the last two days resulting in landslides, flash floods and falling of trees.
He said that as many as eight persons were reported to have died in Shimla district alone. Two persons each have lost their lives in Chamba, Kullu, Sirmour and Solan districts. Apart from it, one person each lost their lives in Bilaspur and Lahaul & Spiti districts due to heavy rains during the last 24 hours, he added.
The Chief Minister said that the state has suffered a loss of about Rs 490 crore in the state during this monsoon season.
Thakur said that all the deputy commissioners of the state have been directed to keep a close vigil on the situation and ensure safety of the local as well as of the tourists.
The tourists have been advised to stay away from river beds as there is always possibility of sudden rise in water levels due to flash floods and heavy rains, he said.
Lahaul & Spiti district has witnessed untimely snow on Saturday and Sunday morning due to which heavy damages had been reported to crops, he added.
The Chief Minister further said that the State Government would ensure time bound clearances of all the major roads so as to ensure that the people of the state, particularly horticulturists does not face any difficulty in transportation of their produce to the markets.
The Deputy Commissioners have also been directed to take decision regarding closure of educational institutions in their respective districts as per the situation well in time so that the students do not face any inconvenience, he added.
The local Indian Meteorological Department on Sunday said Himachal Pradesh received the highest ever rainfall for a 24-hour period, since records began almost 70 years ago.
Meanwhile, hundreds remained stranded after incessant rainfall triggered landslides, snapped road links, led to shutting down of hydropower projects and release of excess water from dams.
Traffic on the Chandigarh-Manali highway was blocked between Mandi and Kullu towns following massive landslides along the swollen Beas river. The Mandi-Jogindernagar Highway was also closed for traffic.
Traffic was hampered on 68 roads across the state and the maximum 47 blockades were in Chamba district, a government official said.
A Balley bridge near Kullu town was washed away due to flashflood. As a precaution, excess water was released from Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd's (SJVNL) 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri plant -- India's largest hydro project in Kinnaur district -- which led to flooding in the Satluj river, he said.
The state authorities said that excess water was discharged from the Pandoh diversion dam, located 112 km upstream of Pong dam, as a precautionary measure. The outflow from the dam was one lakh cusecs. The Pandoh diversion dam is located on Beas river in Mandi district. It diverts excess monsoon water towards Pong dam. Otherwise, it diverts water towards Satluj river, which feeds the Gobind Sagar reservoir of the Bhakra dam.
Though the inflow of water into state's Pong and Bhakra dam increased dramatically due to heavy rainfall, authorities said there is no need for worry as the reservoirs have surplus capacity.
The Indian Meteorological Department on Sunday said that the entire Kangra district has been experiencing heavy rain for the past two days.
"The state as a whole received 102.5 mm and this was 1,065 per cent more than normal for this day. This is the highest ever rainfall in 24 hours over the state," IMD said in a statement.
Earlier, the highest rainfall in a day was recorded on August 14, 2011, and that was 74 mm. The monsoon was vigorous over the state in the last 24 hours, the IMD said.
All districts received excess rainfall. 252 mm rainfall was recorded in Bilaspur district, which was 2,586 per cent more than its normal level. Solan district received 114.2 mm (1,090 per cent), Shimla 104.8mm (2,039 per cent), Hamirpur 134.7 mm (1,234 per cent), Kangra 79 mm (204 per cent), Una 147.7 mm (2,138 per cent), Kullu 85.9 mm (1,767 per cent) and Kinnaur district 25.2 mm (1,160 per cent).
The Met Department said very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall occurred at some places, especially in Bilaspur, Shimla and Sirmaur districts. The hilltop Naina Devi temple in Bilaspur district saw 360 mm of rainfall, the highest in the state.
The state capital- Shimla saw 153 mm of rainfall, uprooting a large number of trees in the town and blocking roads.
According to the Met Department, light to moderate rainfall is likely at some places in the state on Monday.