Rains wreak havoc in Kullu, cloudburst near Manali triggers floods
Landslides triggered by heavy rainfall damaged government and private property in Kullu on Wednesday.
Taking stock of the situation, the district administration restricted movement of vehicles heading towards the Rohtang Pass (13,050 ft).The heavy downpour caused flash flooding at Badhagran nullah near Patlikuhl,16km from Manali.
Panic gripped Hallan village when water and debris entered houses in the early hours of Wednesday. Police undertook evacuation operations. Patlikuhl market was emptied during the night. No loss of life was reported.
The Beas was also in spate. Two persons had to be rescued by local residents and the police after their vehicle skidded from Naggar Road, Manali, into the swelling river. The vehicle was washed away due to strong currents. It later got stuck at an island. Both the victims were rescued with ropes. They suffered minor injuries.
A bridge and a famous trout fish farm in Patlikuhal were also damaged. Superintendent of police Gaurav Singh said the damage was being assessed and rescue work was underway.
MET PREDICTS RAIN OVER NEXT 2 DAYS
As per the state’s meteorological department (IMD), Himachal Pradesh will continue to receive rainfall over the next couple of days. Himachal received heavy to moderate rainfall during the last 24 hours.
State meteorological department director Dr Manmohan Singh said rainfall is likely to continue till August 13. Una received 109mm rain, which was the highest in the state, followed by Sarkaghat of Mandi district, which received 92mm rain.Hamirpur received 22 mm of rain, Kangra 28mm and Palampur received 23mm rainfall.
Shimla received 54.4mm rainfall and recorded a maximum temperature of 23.4°C, Dharamshala witnessed 45.4mm rain and recorded a temperature of 27.6°C. Kufri received 10mm rain and recorded 16.6°C temperature. The maximum temperature in Dalhousie was 21.7°C, and at Manali wa 28°C. The lowest minimum temperature in the state was recorded at Keylong of Lahaul-Spiti district (14°C).
BAD WEATHER HAMPERS EVACUATION OF AN INJURED SHEPHERD
An aerial operation to evacuate an injured shepherd from Bara-Bhangal village in Baijnath sub-division on Wednesday was foiled as the helicopter sent by the state government could not land due to bad weather.
The district administration had requested the state government to provide an helicopter to evacuate Chatru Ram, a shepherd, who was injured in a landslide on August 5.
“We will take one more stab at aerial evacuation and should it fail, a team of mountaineers from the Mountaineering Institute, McLeodganj,will be sent to retrieve him, through Chamba,” he said. Bara-Bhangal is one of the remotest villages in Himachal, located deep in the Dhauladhar mountain range. The village is accessible through a 60km trek from Bainjath or a 42-km trek from Holi village in Chamba.