Torrential rain disrupts normal life in Himachal Pradesh; 109 roads blocked

Torrential rain led to the closure of 109 roads across Himachal Pradesh on Sunday, with the local meteorological office issuing an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places in four districts on August 17 and 18.

The orange alert has been issued across Bilaspur, Chamba, Kangra and Mandi districts for Monday, and in Una, Chamba and Kangra districts for Tuesday, the Met office said. Two families at Thakurdwara near Palampur in Kangra district had a narrow escape on Sunday morning after a tree fell on their building, officials said.

The building, adjacent shops and parked vehicles were damaged in the tree collapse, leading to a brief traffic congestion on the Palampur-Hamirpur highway, they said.

Moderate to heavy rain lashed parts of Kangra district since Saturday evening. Dharamshala recorded 126.3 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours, followed by Palampur at 55 mm and Kangra at 34.6 mm, Met Office data showed.

According to the State Emergency Operations Centre, 43 roads were closed in Mandi, 33 in Kullu, eight in Sirmaur, seven in Shimla, six each in Chamba and Kangra, four in Una and two in Lahaul-Spiti.

As many as 216 water supply lines and seven power transformers were also damaged in the rain, the officials said.

Since the onset of monsoon on June 30, 79 people have died in rain-related incidents in the state, including 14 in landslides and one in a flash flood.  The state has suffered estimated losses of Rs 973 crore so far, the officials said.

Himachal Pradesh has received 128.3 mm of rainfall against a normal of 156.5 mm from August 1-16, a deficit of 18 per cent, they said.