Himachal: 583 roads blocked, vehicles swept away amid landslides, cloudbursts
No casualty reported; four injured as bus overturns in Mandi; water released from Pandoh, Barot dams; educational institutions, including colleges, closed in Chamba and Manali.
Landslides triggered by heavy rains and snow left 583 roads, including five highways, across Himachal Pradesh blocked, throwing life out of gear on Friday. A dozen vehicles were swept away in a drain after a cloudburst in Pahanala Khad of Kullu district. Chhota Bhangal of Kangra district also witnessed a cloudburst. Kinnaur and Bharmour witnessed sliding of glacier. No loss of life was reported.
Four persons were injured when a bus, heading towards Pathankot from Mandi, overturned after being hit by a landslide near Banala in Mandi district on the Chandigarh-Manali highway. they were hospitalised in Mandi. while Kullu’s Akhada Bazaar and Gandhi Nagar were inundated, damaging vehicles parked on the roadside, officials said.
Intermittent snowfall in the higher reaches and rains in the rest of the state for the third day left cut off several areas in Kullu, Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur, Chamba and Shimla districts, officials said. Kullu deputy commissioner Torul S Raveesh said six-feet snow fell on Atal Tunnel, making tourists stranded. She said directions have been issued to ensure their safety. “Amid avalanche threat, Manali SDM has been instructed to open the road after the weather clears,” the DC said.
Water had to be released from the dams in Pandoh on the Beas river and at Barot on the Uhal river, due to which the water level in the river increased. The administration has appealed to locals and tourists to stay away from the river and the BBMB had to make announcements from its vehicles to alert people.
Deputy commissioner Apoorv Devgan said the water level rose due to heavy rains in the Beas catchment areas of Kullu valley and Mandi district, due to which 7,000 cusecs of water had to be released from the Pandoh dam. Similarly, due to cloudburst and rain in Chhota Bhangal, the water level in the Uhal river increased, due to which water was also released from the Barot barrage.
In Baijnath of Kangra district, a flashflood submerged many vehicles and water entered several houses. Baijnath SDM Devi Chand Thakur said flash floods damaged 14 houses and a middle school building in Luwardi village of the remote Chhota Banghal valley. Four vehicles were burried under debris.
Floodwater entered the Manuni power project near Dharamshala. Project GM Ashwani Kumar told on phone that some of the machinery got stuck in the floodwaters.
In Mandi, tree fell on Maa Hidimba Devi temple, damaging its roof. In Kullu district, about 90 link roads were blocked.
A mound of snow fell on national highway 5 near Jangi, blocking the road, after which the BRO cleared it using JCB. Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said, “We are monitoring the situation. Instructions have been issued to open dam gates amid rising water level. I appeal to locals as well as tourists to stay away from rivers and nallahs.”
All educational institutions, including colleges, have been closed in Chamba and Manali. However, the CBSE board examinations were held as scheduled.
Kinnaur cut off
There was an avalanche threat over tribal areas and other higher reaches above 2,300 metres. People were advised to restrict outdoor movement and take precautions, officials said.
Kinnaur has been cut off for the first this winter as most of the roads were either blocked by landslides, boulders and avalanches or covered by snow. According to Kinnaur police, the Chaura-Samdo highway junction 5 was blocked at Tinku Nala due to an avalanche. Nathpa and Nigulsari sliding points remain closed due to continuous shooting stones, and the Tapri-Samdo stretch was inaccessible because of heavy snowfall.
The Powari-Kalpa NH-505A, roads from Karcham to Chitkul, Wangtoo to Kafnoo and Bhabhanagar to Nichar were closed due to intense snowfall. The Kaksthal-Karcham road was blocked by massive boulders, with JCBs deployed to clear the route.
National highway 5 (Tibet road) was closed due to snow at Narkanda, while the Deha-Chopal and roads connecting the Dodra-Kwar area were also blocked. The Theog-Hatkoti highway at Kharapathar, located at 8,770ft, was also closed.
In Kullu, the administration has restricted vehicular movement beyond Nehru Kund due to fresh snowfall at Solang Nallah, Gulaba, Atal Tunnel and Rohtang.
Seobagh was the wettest in the state with 113.2 mm rains, followed by Bhuntar 113.2 mm, Banjar 112.4 mm, Jogindernagar 112 mm, Salooni 109.3 mm, Palampur 99 mm, Chamba 97 mm, Baijnath 75 mm, Kangra 74 mm, Rohroo 70 mm, Kufri 59 mm and Shimla 54.5 mm.
Light to moderate rains have been predicted with spells of heavy rains at isolated places in Chamba, Kullu, Shimla, Mandi, Sirmaur and Kangra districts.
