Heavy Rains Disrupt Life in Himachal: 842 Roads Blocked, Power and Water Supply Hit

Shimla: Torrential rains across Himachal Pradesh have left more than 842 roads, including three national highways, blocked, while power and water supply have also been severely affected.

According to the State Emergency Operations Centre, Chamba district has reported the highest number of road closures at 286, followed by 198 in Mandi (including National Highway-03), 176 in Kullu (including National Highway-305), 61 in Kangra, 38 in Sirmaur, 28 in Shimla, 21 in Una, 14 in Lahaul-Spiti, 10 in Bilaspur, eight in Solan, and one in Hamirpur. In Kinnaur, National Highway-05 remains blocked at several points due to landslides.

Power supply has been hit after 728 distribution transformers went out of service: 363 in Chamba, 225 in Kullu, 123 in Mandi, nine in Lahaul-Spiti, three in Shimla, two each in Kangra and Solan, and one in Kinnaur. Several areas remain without electricity.

Similarly, 456 drinking water supply schemes have been disrupted—212 in Kangra, 93 in Chamba, 56 in Mandi, 52 in Shimla, 39 in Kullu, and four in Solan—leaving large parts of these districts facing shortages.

In Shimla, two people were injured and at least five houses damaged in landslides triggered by incessant rainfall over the past 24 hours. In Thala village of Rampur subdivision, Hemant and Pyare Lal were injured after their house collapsed and were rushed to nearby health centers. In Sheel village, the houses of Tulsi Das, Lekh Raj, and Harish Kumar were also damaged. District authorities have visited the affected sites to assess the situation.

The Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for August 31 and a yellow alert for September 1 and 2, warning that heavy rain may continue in some areas until September 2.

Chamba recorded the heaviest rainfall in the past 24 hours at 110 mm, followed by Dharamshala (69.4 mm), Shimla (62 mm), Nahan (60.1 mm), Palampur (60 mm), Kangra (40.8 mm), Narkanda (40 mm), Manali (24 mm), Chamba town (14 mm), and Bhuntar (8.6 mm).