Avalanche in Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul and Spiti obstructs Chenab flow; 500 roads closed as snow, rain lash state
Shimla, March 3
An avalanche hit a village in Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul and Spiti district in the wee hours of Sunday, obstructing the flow of Chenab and triggering an alert in the adjoining area, officials said.
Meanwhile, heavy snow and rainfall in Himachal Pradesh in the past two days have triggered over half a dozen avalanches and landslides, leading to closure of over 500 roads, including five national highways, they said.
So far no casualty has been reported in any of the avalanches, they added.
The flow of Chenab river was obstructed following an avalanche at Dara Waterfall near Jasrat village in Lahaul and Spiti. The district, located at a high altitude, reported heavy snowfall in the past 24 hours.
Residents of adjoining villages of Jobrang, Rapi, Jasrath, Tarand and Tharot have been advised to stay cautious and inform the nearest police post in case of emergency, said SP Lahaul and Spiti Mayank Chaudhary.
Some shops were buried in an avalanche at Tandi Bridge in Lahaul subdivision.
Incidents of multiple avalanche occurred in Lahaul and Spiti at Seli Nallah in Rashel village, Faldi Nallah in Jobrang, Cho Veer Mod in Lohni and Tatha Nallah near Udaipur village.
An avalanche was also reported near Karcham helipad in Sangla in Kinnaur district, the officials said.
Of the 500 roads shut for traffic, five are national highways. A maximum of 290 roads are closed in Lahaul and Spiti, 75 in Kinnaur, 72 in Chamba, 35 in Shimla, 18 in Kullu, 16 in Mandi, one each in Kangra and Sirmaur districts, according to the state emergency operation centre.
People are advised not to travel to upper Shimla areas as the roads have become slippery following snowfall, Shimla Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap told PTI on Sunday.
He added that work is underway to clear the blocked roads and resume traffic movement.
Life was thrown out of gear in parts of Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur and Chamba as heavy snowfall disrupted electricity and communication. A total of 2,563 transformers are out of order in the state and 72 water supply schemes have been disrupted, according to the emergency operation centre.
Three houses, one each in Lahaul and Spiti, Solan and Sirmaur and Kullu were damaged due to snow, rain and lightning. Supply of essential commodities like milk, bread, vegetables and newspaper was affected in Upper Shimla region, it added.
According to a bulletin issued by the meteorological department here, Rohtang received the maximum snowfall in the state in the past 24 hours, measuring 150 cm.
Chitkul and Atal Tunnel recorded 120 cm deep snow, Solang 75 cm, Khadrala 62 cm, Kalpa, Kaza and Moorang 60 cm each, Sangla 52.5 cm, Nichar and Gondla 45 cm each, Keylong 28 cm, Narkanda, Killar, Udaipur, Sissu, Koksar and Chansel 30 cm each, Reckong Peo 15 cm and Shillaro 5 cm and Kufri 2 cm, the bulletin showed.
Intermittent rain lashed several parts of the state and Manali which recorded 88 mm of rain was the wettest in the state followed by Nahan noting 84 mm, Pachhad 76 mm, Sarahan 70 mm, Kangra 65 mm, Rampur 64 mm, Rohru 60 mm, Kotkhai 56 mm, Dharamsala 55 mm, Dalhousie and Guler 53 mm each, Chamba 50 mm.
State capital Shimla received 35 mm of rain, according to the bulletin. Keylong was the coldest at night, recording a low of minus 4.5 degree Celsius.
