Rain, landslips ravage Himachal; Shimla, Bilaspur worst-affected

Subhash Rajta

Shimla, August 13

Himachal received 90 per cent more than normal rainfall over the past three days, triggering a spate of landslides and flashfloods. On Sunday, Shimla, Bilaspur, Mandi, Sirmaur and Kangra districts witnessed incidents of landslide and flashflood, resulting in damage to buildings, vehicles, roads and loss of livestock. In what could make the situation worse, the weatherman says any respite from the rain is unlikely over the next 24 to 36 hours. “During this period, the risk of landslides, mudslides and flashfloods will remain high,” said Surender Paul, Director, Meteorological Centre, Shimla.

Already, landslides and flashfloods have thrown life out of gear in the state. The state capital, which had not suffered much damage over the past month despite enduring heavy rain, saw several landslides in various parts of the city, leading to the closure of roads and diversion of traffic. Besides, there were a few incidents of trees falling on vehicles in various parts of the city.

In Bilaspur, a landslide near Namhol led to the sinking of a sizeable portion of the NH and diversion of traffic. Three houses were completely damaged, while six developed big cracks in the incident. Two trucks and a car, parked on the roadside, were swept away, and a few head of cattle were buried under the debris.

The Balh valley in Mandi district, meanwhile, continued to grapple with the surging waters of the local Suketi rivulet. Water entered several houses and shops in the valley. In other parts of the district, four houses were damaged due to a landslide in Patrighat in Sarkaghat subdivision. Besides, 35 houses were vacated at Chunahan in Nachan after water entered these following a flashflood. Heavy rain swept away a shop, a cowshed, three head of cattle and a tractor-trailer at a village near Nahan.

Losses cross Rs 7,000-crore mark

The total loss due to heavy rain has crossed Rs 7,000 crore in the state. The figure stood at Rs 7,020.28 crore on Sunday evening. The Public Works Dept has suffered the maximum damage (Rs 2,248.69 crore), followed by the Jal Shakti Vibhag and the HPSEBL at Rs 1,668.68 crore and Rs 1505.73 crore, respectively.

Water rises, Bhakra floodgates opened

With the water level rising due to continuous heavy rain, the floodgates of the Bhakra Dam were opened on Sunday and 41,816 cusecs of water released.

621 roads closed

Overall, 621 roads have been shut for traffic in the wake of continuous rain over the past three days. These include the NH-5 and the NH-70. Most roads have been affected in Mandi and Hamirpur.

Chakki Mod shut

Chakki Mod on Parwanoo-Dharampur section of the Chandigarh-Shimla highway has been shut for buses & other heavy vehicles.

Red alert in 6 U’khand dists

Heavy rain alert for Tehri, Dehradun, Champawat, Pauri, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar on Monday.