Shimla, August 18: Heavy rains in several areas of Himachal triggered landslides, disrupted road traffic and prompted the Kangra administration to order closure of schools, officials said. Water in most dams, including Bhakra, Pong and Pandoh, remained close to the danger level.
Six people stranded near Palampur following flash floods were rescued, while several roads in Kangra, Kullu and Chamba districts were blocked due to landslides. The Kullu district administration diverted traffic through Akhara Bazaar in Kullu as the bailey bridge connecting the left bank to the town has been damaged and closed for traffic.
Almost a dozen roads in Chamba have been blocked, including Pathankot-Chamba-Bharmour road. With Kangra being one of the worst affected districts, Deputy Commissioner RK Prajapati ordered closure of all educational institutions today as most rivers were in spate and streets were flooded with water in most towns.
“While the forecast suggests rainfall activity is likely to decrease significantly from August 19, there will be very heavy rain over the next 24 hours in Mandi and Kangra districts,” said Manmohan Singh, Director of the local Met Centre. Most towns received heavy rains since last night with Kangra recording 118.0 mm, Dharamsala 115.6 mm, Dalhousie 84.0 mm, Chamba 65 mm and Shimla 40.0 mm.
“We are monitoring the situation and there is no cause for alarm as the authorities are releasing water from dams time to time and are in constant touch with Punjab,” said DC Rana, Director-cum-Special Secretary, HP Disaster Management Authority.
A total of 175 lives have been lost since July 1, including those due to accident, drowning and house collapse. The public works and irrigation departments have suffered a loss of Rs 290.64 crore and Rs 167.82 crore, respectively. The loss due to rains since July 1 has been pegged at Rs 474.37 crore.
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