Heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh blocked over 260 roads, including 176 in Mandi. A red alert warns of heavy rainfall in Kangra, Sirmaur, and Mandi. Losses are around Rs 541 crore.
Due to heavy rains over the past few days in Himachal Pradesh, more than 260 roads, including 176 in Mandi district, are blocked, officials said on Saturday.
The Met Office has issued a ‘red’ alert for Sunday, warning of extremely heavy rainfall in isolated areas of Kangra, Sirmaur, and Mandi districts, news agency PTI reported.
An ‘orange’ warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places has been issued for Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Chamba, Solan, Shimla and Kullu districts.
Very heavy rainfall is defined as 115.6 mm to 204.4 mm in 24 hours, while extremely heavy rainfall exceeds 204.4 mm.
Last year, heavy monsoon rains caused massive destruction in the state, leaving more than 550 people dead.
The weather department warned of potential landslides, flash floods, and waterlogging, which could damage structures, crops, and essential services. People are advised to avoid water bodies and vulnerable areas.
According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), the estimated losses so far are around Rs 541 crore. However, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the losses are close to Rs 700 crore as details are still being compiled.
Around 300 transformers and 281 water supply schemes are also affected, the SEOC said.
Since Friday evening, light to moderate rainfall lashed parts of the state, with Jogindernagar receiving 52 mm, followed by 28.8 mm each in Nahan and Palampur, 21 mm in Paonta Sahib, 18 mm in Una, 17.4 mm in Berthin, 15.6 mm in Kangra and 12.6 mm in Naina Devi.
Since monsoon began on June 20, a total of 72 deaths have been reported in the state, of which 45 are linked to rain-related incidents such as cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides.
Mandi district suffered the worst damage, with 10 incidents of cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides on Tuesday, resulting in 14 fatalities. Officials said search operations are ongoing to locate 31 missing individuals.
