Rain throws life out of gear in Himachal, 150 roads blocked

Dharamshala records maximum 214mm of rainfall in state followed by Jogindernagar with 169mm, Kangra 157mm and Baijnath 142mm.

Heavy rain threw life out of gear in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday as landslides and flashfloods blocked nearly 150 roads with Mandi district bearing the brunt.

Residents walking in the rain in Shimla on Saturday. The Indian meteorological department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert in most parts of the state. The weather is expected to clear up on Monday. (Deepak Sansta/HT)

Official sources said that a maximum of 111 roads were closed in Mandi district besides nine in Chamba, eight in Shimla, and 13 in Sirmaur districts.

The 151-km national highway 707 (NH-707) that connects Hatkoti to Paonta Sahib and enters Uttarakhand en route was also blocked. The highway passes through the towns of Sataun, Kamrau, Kaffota, Chareu, Shillai, Shiri Kyari, and Rohnat in Sirmaur district.

Public works department (PWD) officials said efforts are on to restore traffic at the earliest.

Torrential rain affected amenities in the state as the supply from 334 electricity lines and 55 water schemes was disrupted.

The rain brought down mercury in the higher reaches of the state. Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti district emerged the coldest place at 9.9°C.

The district headquarters of Kangra, Dharamshala, received the highest rainfall in the state with 214mm, Jogindernagar got 169mm of rain, Kangra 157mm, Baijnath 142mm, Nagrota Suryian 90.2mm, Sujanpur Tira 72mm, Dhaulakuan 70mm, Ghamroor 68.2mm and Nadaun 63mm.

The Indian meteorological department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert in most parts of the state.

IMD senior scientist Sandeep Kumar Sharma said fog conditions will prevail in Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur districts due to the rain.

The weather is expected to clear up from July 8.