Rain wreaks havoc in Mandi, flood water, landslides damage houses

Dipender Manta

Mandi, August 13

Heavy rain lashed Mandi district for the third consecutive day today. Flood water entered several houses and shops at Gutkar, Nerchowk and a few other places in the Balh valley.

Four houses were badly damaged in a major landslide at Patrighat panchayat in Sarkaghat subdivision of Mandi district. Around 100 people of the area have been accommodated in a nearby school. Some houses are the verge of collapse at Patrighat, where families have been asked to shift to safer places to avoid any untoward incident. Three cowsheds were also damaged at Patrighat.

A flashflood was reported at Chunahan village in the Nachan area and floodwater inundated several houses. According to SDM, Balh, Samritika Negi, around 35 families have been affected.

Two houses collapsed at Kothigehri village in the Rewalsar area, while many houses were rendered vulnerbale. A few houses at Diyargi village were on the verge of collapsing and around 30 families were shifted to a safe place.

Due to heavy rain, a major part of the Balh valley was submerged under water and people were seen struggling to save their belongings. Local residents rescued one person trapped in floodwaters with the help of a tractor. Agriculture land was inundated in the valley, causing considerable damage to crops. The Suketi river was in spate following heavy rain.

The Kiratpur-Manali highway was inundated near Nagchala, which made the movement of vehicles difficult. The site for the Mandi airport in the Balh valley had turned into a pool of water.

Due to incessant rain, the Chandigarh-Manali highway could not be restored for the third consecutive day. The highway was blocked at 6 Miles between Mandi and Pandoh on Friday evening.

According to Additional SP, Mandi, Sagar Chander, more landslides occurred between Mandi and Pandoh on the highway today. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is expected to restore the highway by tomorrow evening.

Meanwhile, the Pandoh dam authorities opened floodgates to release water from its reservoir. It also issued an alert for common public living downstream in Mandi.

246 roads blocked

• Four houses were badly damaged in a major landslide at Patrighat panchayat in Sarkaghat subdivision of Mandi district
• Around 100 people of the Patrighat area have been accommodated in a nearby school
• A flashflood was reported at Chunahan village in the Nachan area and floodwater inundated several houses
• 246 roads, including the Chandigarh-Manali highway, were blocked
• The floodgates of the Pandoh dam were opened and water was released from its reservoir