36 cloudbursts & 74 flashfloods, monsoon leaves Himachal scarred

Two more cloudbursts hit Himachal Pradesh early Sunday in Mandi and Kullu, pushing this monsoon’s tally to 36 across six districts of Chamba, Kinnaur, Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti, Mandi and Shimla.

To make the matters worse, the state has also seen 74 flashfloods, many triggered by these cloudbursts, and 63 landslides. So far, 17 persons have died in Mandi due to cloudbursts, with another 18 killed in flashfloods and landslides. Fortunately, no lives were lost in the latest incidents in Kullu and Manikaran (Mandi), although significant damage to public and private property has been reported.

Government estimates peg losses at over Rs 2,000 crore. Mandi remains the worst-hit, enduring 16 of the 36 cloudbursts this season.

Over the last few years, cloudbursts, followed by flashfloods, and landslides have become rampant in the state. Environmentalists and weather officials say a combination of reasons are behind this unnatural spike in extreme weather events, ranging from indiscriminate cutting of fragile mountain slopes for roads and highways to rampant felling of trees and climate change.

Renowned environmentalist OP Bhuraita emphasised the fragility of the Himalayas, stating that excessive human intervention in the region must be curtailed. “The Himalayas are ecologically sensitive, and large-scale infrastructure projects like four-lane highways, rampant cutting, excavation and tunnelling are causing more harm than good. There should be minimal human interference," he said.

Echoing concerns over climate change, environmentalist Soumya Dutta highlighted that the rise in extreme rainfall events was a global phenomenon, not confined to Himachal Pradesh or Uttarakhand. “The key factor is the unprecedented rise in global sea surface temperatures over the past two to three years. Warmer seas release more moisture into the atmosphere, while rising air temperatures further intensify rainfall pattern. These two factors primarily lead to intense rains,” he said. Dutta warned that such extreme weather events were likely to escalate in the coming years.

A weather official said, “A cloudburst occurs if there is extremely heavy rainfall of at least 100 mm in an hour at a particular place.” He blamed the sudden rise in extreme weather events on global warming.