Relentless monsoon rains in Himachal kill 157; 260 roads shut
What's the story
Himachal Pradesh is reeling under the impact of heavy monsoon rains, which have left at least 157 people dead and blocked 259 roads across the state. The relentless downpour has also caused extensive damage to nearly 900 properties and public works, with losses estimated at ₹886 crore. The State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) report from June 30 to August 9 highlights that around 68 of these deaths were due to landslides and flash floods while road accidents claimed 89 lives.
Ongoing crisis
257 people missing
The report also states that around 257 people are still missing due to the monsoon-related incidents.
District-wise, Chamba recorded the highest fatalities at 24, followed by Kangra and Kullu with 21 each. Shimla reported 20 deaths, Lahaul and Spiti 18, and Sirmaur 16, as of Monday.
Ex-gratia payments amounting to ₹628 lakh have been disbursed to victims and their families.
Infrastructure impact
Outages in power supply across the state
Due to the rains, power supplies have been severely affected across the state, with Kullu and Mandi districts bearing the brunt of outages.
Around 161 distribution transformers (DTRs) have been rendered non-functional for over a week due to the incessant rains.
Mandi district has the highest number of damaged DTRs at 77, followed by Shimla with 43 and Kullu with 40.
The continuous downpour has also led to a sudden rise in water levels of rivers and streams across Kullu.
Natural disasters
Flash floods, landslides sweep away cars, makeshift bridges
The heavy rainfall has triggered landslides and flash floods, sweeping away cars and makeshift bridges.
Visuals show debris crashing down mountains, further exacerbating the crisis in the state.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for heavy rain in five districts, indicating that the situation may worsen further.