14 houses, school building and 4 vehicles damaged in flash floods in Kangra’s Chhota Bhanghal valley

Four vehicles were buried under the debris, while 14 houses and a local middle school building were damaged in flash floods triggered by a cloudburst and heavy rain in Luwai village of the remote Chhota Bhanghal valley, some 70 km from here, on Friday morning.

Reports received here said continuous heavy rain for the past 48 hours has wreaked havoc in Chhota Bhanghal valley, paralysing normal life. Dozens of villages in the valley are without power following the uprooting of power supply poles. The vehicular traffic to Multhan, Luhardi, Barot, kothi Kohar has also come to standstill following heavy landslides and uprooting of trees on the roads. Hundreds of vehicles have been stranded at different parts of the valley as most roads are covered with snow and heavy boulders.

Keeping in view the safety of people, the local authorities have opened the flood gates at two hydro power projects situated in the valley. Various camping sites set upon the bank of Uhal river have also suffered heavy damage.

The district administration has issued an advisory, asking tourists and local people to not go near the rivers and streams after the Meteorological Department predicted moderate to heavy rain for the next 24 hours.

Meanwhile, a number of residents of Chhota Bhanghal said rescue and relief operations are yet to be started. Baijnath MLA Kishori Lal said relief teams had already been dispatched to the valley this morning. He said he had directed the Baijnath Administration to immediately ensure relief, rescue and rehabilitation works in the affected areas.