E-Paper
Monsoon fury unabated in Himachal, Mandi bears the burnt
Balh, Gohar, Sundernagar and Dharampur were the worst-hit sub-divisions, floods and fresh landslides were reported as it has been raining relentlessly for over two days
A month after being devastated by natural calamities, Mandi district was battered by heavy rains, triggering flash floods and landslides and causing widespread damage to public and private property.
Balh, Gohar, Sundernagar and Dharampur were the worst-hit sub-divisions. Floods and fresh landslides were reported as it has been raining relentlessly for over two days.
Sundernagar has recorded 166.1 mm rain since Saturday, with Gohar 130 mm, Mandi 115.8 mm rainfall, Baldwara 80 mm, and Karsog and Pandoh getting 70 mm rain each, said Surender Paul, director of MeT department’s Shimla centre.
A flash flood warning has been issued in Mandi, Shimla, Kangra, Chamba, Hamirpur, Bilaspur and Kullu.
Mandi superintendent of police Soumya Sambasivan said people have been advised to avoid unnecessary travel and stay away from water streams.
Thousands have been hit in Balh Valley, where more than 50 villages have reported waterlogging. Paddy, maize and vegetable crops have been damaged in hundreds of hectares and roads, vehicles and houses have been submerged in water.
The Kiratpur-Manali highway was waterlogged and flood water entered the Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College, Ner Chowk’s, basement.
Mandi deputy commissioner Arindam Chaudhary said that no loss of life has been reported.
More than 300 houses have been damaged in the Balh region. A cloudburst in Chunahan of Nachan assembly segment triggered a flash flood. The local school is inundated and two buildings housing panchayat office and a veterinary dispensary have been damaged, Chaudhary added.
The Mandi-Manali highway is blocked due to frequent landslides near Pandoh. As per State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) data, 236 roads were blocked in Mandi district.
In Dharampur, people relived the 2015 horror when Son rivulet, a tributary of Beas, flowed dangerously high, submerging Dharampur bus stand. Anticipating the situation, the authorities had already removed buses to a safer place. Water here also entered the houses and shops. Dharampur and Sarkaghat sub-divisions have been completely cut off due to blocked roads.
Meanwhile, the Bhakra Bead Management Board authorities have opened the floodgates of Pandoh Dam after the water level in the reservoir reached optimum level.
One injured as tree falls in bus in Shimla
The nature unleashed its fury in Shimla and Bilaspur district. More than 40 trees were uprooted across the capital town due to heavy rain and multiple roads were blocked.
One person was injured after a tree fell on a private bus at Tuti-Kandi. Over a dozen deodar trees were uprooted in Khalini forest colony and a tree fell on a house in Vikasnagar. Landslides have also damaged vehicles and other public and private property.
Shimla deputy commissioner Aditya Negi has ordered closure of all schools in Shimla town on Monday. Meanwhile, Kalka-Shimla highway was blocked at Chakki Mod due to a fresh landslide and the connectivity to the upper Shimla region has also been disrupted.
HRTC bus services towards Chandigarh-Dehli from Shimla will go via Nahan and those to Chandigarh, Pathankot via Kunihar.
In Bilaspur district, a flash flood at Deeb swept away two trucks and a car besides some cattle. The Shimla-Bilaspur national highway was also blocked for traffic between Namhol and Brahmpukhar.
SDMA director DC Rana said over 450 roads were blocked in the state, out of which, 236 roads are in Mandi. As many as 59 roads are blocked in Shimla, 40 in Bilaspur and 39 in Kullu. A total of 1,814 electricity transformers have malfunctioned— 1,335 in Mandi district.
