Monsoon Fury Unleashed in Himachal: 125 Dead, 468 Roads Blocked, Power Outages Widespread, Orange Alert Issued
Shimla, July 21:
The monsoon has once again unleashed widespread devastation across Himachal Pradesh. Torrential rains since last night have triggered massive landslides at multiple locations, leading to the closure of 468 roads, including three national highways, and the failure of 1,199 electricity transformers, plunging many areas into darkness. Shimla district has borne the brunt of the damage, with several roads blocked, vehicles buried under debris, and trees uprooted.
In the Jubbal area of Shimla district, a Maruti car (HP10B-8852) was caught in a landslide and crushed by a falling tree on the Antti-Chhajpur road. Fortunately, the two occupants managed to escape just in time. Another landslide occurred near Chaura Maidan, close to Rajiv Gandhi Degree College, Kotshira, where Puneet Thakur’s car (HP65-5644) was buried in debris. All three passengers survived, though Thakur sustained minor injuries.
At Sanjauli College, two large trees collapsed, blocking the road and damaging two vehicles. On the Shimla-Chopal main road, fallen trees trapped trucks loaded with apples and other vehicles. In Sunni sub-division, the rising water level of the Sutlej River due to continuous rainfall came dangerously close to the ITI campus.
According to the State Emergency Operations Centre, Mandi has the highest number of road closures at 310, followed by Sirmaur with 52, Chamba 39, and Kullu 33. National highways are blocked in Mandi (two) and Kullu (one). Power outages are also extensive, with 390 transformers down in Mandi, 259 in Solan, 214 in Chamba, 169 in Sirmaur, and 111 in Kullu. Kangra district has seen the most disruption to drinking water supply, with 595 schemes affected.
Rainfall figures are equally alarming: Kangra received the highest at 147 mm, followed by Nagrota Surian (127 mm), Chuwadi (118 mm), Mandi (113 mm), Jogindernagar (100 mm), Nahan (95 mm), Pandoh (86 mm), Pachhad (85 mm), Kufri (76 mm), Jatton Barrage (75 mm), Jot (74 mm), and Sundernagar (73 mm).
The Meteorological Department has issued an Orange Alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall today and tomorrow, with a Yellow Alert in place from July 23 to 27. Authorities have released excess water from Kol Dam, Larji Dam, and Nathpa Dam, raising water levels in nearby rivers. The administration has urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel and stay away from rivers and streams.
Several schools and anganwadi centres remained closed today due to the rain. In Shimla district, educational institutions were shut in Rohru, Jubbal, Kumarsain, Chopal, and Sunni. Similarly, in Mandi’s Thunag and Kullu’s Anni, schools were also closed. In Theog, school holidays were declared due to blocked roads.
In a tragic incident in Suta village under Chadi Panchayat, Chamba district, a man and a woman were killed when a large boulder crashed onto their house. So far this monsoon season, 125 people have lost their lives, 215 have been injured, and 34 remain missing. Mandi and Kangra districts have reported the highest fatalities (21 each), followed by Kullu (15), Shimla (11), Chamba and Hamirpur (10 each), and Una and Solan (9 each). Mandi also has the highest number of missing persons, with 27 people unaccounted for.
The overall damage is staggering: 382 houses, 264 shops, and 945 cow sheds have been completely destroyed, while 739 houses have been partially damaged. Mandi district alone has reported the destruction of 355 houses, 241 shops, and 771 cow sheds. Additionally, 21,500 poultry birds and 1,296 livestock have perished. The estimated loss to public and private property stands at approximately ₹1,235 crore.
Both the administration and the Meteorological Department have issued urgent advisories, urging citizens to follow weather warnings, remain alert, and stay in safe areas as the coming days are expected to be extremely critical for the state.
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