Himachal Pradesh has been severely affected when a cloudburst led to landslides and flash floods on Sunday, June 25th, causing major disruptions to people’s lives. Nine people are reportedly killed and over 200, including locals and tourists, are stranded in the hilly state.
Due to flash floods and landslides occurring on Sunday morning in certain regions of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, the Chandigarh-Manali highway had to be shut down on Monday, 26th June.
In Khotinallah near Aut, Himachal Pradesh, along the Pandoh-Kullu road, a strong downpour brought on by a lot of rain led to flash floods. Due to this, over 200 commuters are now stranded there.
Due to the cloudburst, flash floods devastated the districts of Solan and Hamirpur, killing two and causing significant damage to properties. Furthermore, the situation worsened due to the heavy precipitation that hit Shimla, Mandi, and Kullu. This led to significant damage to crops, homes, cars, and livestock that were swept away.
Kangra, Mandi, and Sirmaur districts have also experienced significant rainfall ranging from moderate to heavy. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday added that there was no warning for flash floods until Tuesday morning.
The State Emergency Operation Centre reported the unfortunate incidents, noting one drowning in both Hamirpur and Shimla districts. The torrential rain destroyed 11 houses, 11 vehicles, and four cowsheds.
According to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), as many as 124 roads were blocked. The number later increased to 300.
In the Mandi district, a total of 72 roads were blocked, making it the district with the highest number of road closures. Sirmaur district followed with 23 blocked roads and Solan district with 21. Sirmaur district also experienced the highest number of power outages, with 69 Distribution Transformer Rectifiers (DTRs) affected. Chamba district had 37 affected DTRs, and Mandi district had 25, all due to heavy rains and flash floods.
A drain in the town of Kullu overflowed due to severe rains, washing away 10 vehicles, including three tractors and an SUV. The locals had parked their cars along the edge of the drain.
The administration reportedly offered no aid, so the residents had to employ JCB equipment the following morning to get their cars back.
To prevent further escalation, authorities opened the floodgates of the Pandoh dam as the water level in the Beas River exceeded the danger mark.
