15 roads closed in Himachal Pradesh following heavy rain; Met issues ‘yellow’ alert till July 28

Shimla, July 23

Fifteen roads were closed for vehicular traffic in Himachal Pradesh following heavy rainfall in the past 24 hours even as the weather office issued a ‘yellow’ alert of heavy rain at isolated places for the next four days till July 28.

A total of 15 roads—12 in Mandi, two in Kinnaur and one in Kangra district—were closed for vehicular traffic, while 62 transformers were disrupted in the state, according to the state emergency operation centre.

The Met also cautioned about damage to plantations and standing crops, vulnerable structures and ‘kutcha’ houses in the state due to strong winds and waterlogging in low-lying areas.

Intermittent rain lashed parts of the state, with Baijnath recording 85 mm of rainfall since Tuesday evening, followed by Palampur (25.2 mm), Jogindernagar (18 mm), Dharamshala (10.4 mm), Hamirpur (8mm), Poanta Sahib (7.6 mm), Sainj and Kahu (7.5 mm each), Kasauli (7.4 mm) and Shimla (5.6 mm), according to the Meteorological Centre, Shimla.

So far, 49 persons have died in rain-related incidents in the state, which has suffered losses of approximately Rs 389 crore in the ongoing monsoon season since June 27, the emergency operation centre said.

Kukumseri in tribal Lahaul and Spiti district was coldest on Tuesday night at 10.2 degrees Celsius, while Una was hottest during the day recording a temperature of 36.4 degrees Celsius. BPL