MeT cautions of flash flood in seven Himachal districts amid heavy rain forecast
The weather office on Monday, August 3, cautioned of flash floods in at least seven districts of Himachal Pradesh in view of a heavy rainfall forecast in several areas across the state.
The Shimla Meteorological Centre has indicated low flash flood risk to areas in Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Sirmaur and Solan districts till Tuesday morning.
The weather office on Monday evening issued an 'orange' alert for heavy rains in isolated places in Chamba, Kangra, Una, Solan, Sirmaur and Bilapsur districts in the next 12 hours.
It also issued a 'yellow' alert of heavy rains in isolated parts of the state till August 9.
There is a possibility of landslides and flash floods in vulnerable areas, the MeT said.
Water level and flow are likely to increase in all water bodies, leading to waterlogging in low lying areas, it said, advising people to avoid vulnerable areas, maintain safe distance from water bodies prone to flash floods, and follow traffic and weather advisories.
A total of 109 roads are closed for traffic across the state due to landslides and flash floods triggered by heavy rains. The maximum number of closures have been reported from Mandi district, with 43 roads blocked, followed by 39 in Kullu, eight in Sirmaur, six each in Shimla and Chamba, five in Kangra and two in Una district.
Additionally, 30 water supply schemes and six transformers are hit as of Monday evening, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).
On Monday, a vehicle was damaged after being hit by large boulders that tumbled down a hillside during a rain-triggered landslide at Premghat in Theog subdivision of Shimla district.
There are also reports of damage to a government school building in Nirmand area of Kullu district after debris cascading down a hillside crashed into it.
A section of the 65-year-old bridge over the Bata river near Paonta on the Dehradun-Chandigarh national highway collapsed into the river, with cracks appearing in the remaining structure.
The administration has halted traffic movement across the bridge. However, a new bridge had been constructed alongside the old one six years ago, with vehicular movement unaffected on the stretch.
On the other hand, a purported video clip of a bus traversing a damaged stretch on the Luna-Chhatrari road in Bharmour assembly constituency of Chamba district has gone viral. The bus workers can be seen placing iron angles over a damaged road section to maneuver the bus across a missing stretch.
Light to moderate rains lashed parts of the state in the 24 hours since Sunday evening, with Poanta Sahib in Sirmaur receiving the maximum 75.8 mm rainfall, followed by Naina Devi (68.2 mm), Una (57 mm), Kothi (35.2 mm), Murari Devi (33 mm), Rampur (30 mm), Dharamshala (28 mm), Gohar (22 mm) and Dadahu (20 mm).
Kukumseri in Lahaul-Spiti district was the coldest in the state on Monday, recording a minimum of 12.4 degrees Celsius, while Hamirpur was the hottest with a high of 32.3 degrees Celsius.
According to India Meteorological Department's colour-coded weather warning system, a 'yellow' alert indicates worsening weather, and advises citizens to stay updated on the developing condition. It upgrades to an 'orange' alert when severe weather is imminent, with significant disruptions to transport and power likely.
