568 roads still blocked in state; expect rain till September 20

As many as 568 roads, including three national highways, are still blocked in the state as heavy rainfall continues to wreak havoc. As per the Meteorological Department, rainfall is expected to continue in many parts of Himachal Pradesh till September 20.

As per the State Emergency Operation Centre, Mandi has the maximum number of 176 roads blocked, followed by Kullu (172, including the NH-03 and the NH-305), Shimla (58), Kangra (46), Chamba (29), Sirmaur (24), Una (23, including the NH-503A), Solan (17), Bilaspur (14), Hamirpur (7) and Kinnaur (2).

Also, 373 power transformers are disrupted, the highest 214 in Mandi, followed by 128 in Kullu, 26 in Chamba, four in Shimla and one in Kangra district. As many as 188 water supply schemes are disrupted in the state, the highest 61 in Shimla, 53 in Mandi, 27 in Hamirpur, 26 in Chamba, 17 in Kangra, two in Sirmaur and one each in Solan and Bilaspur districts, leaving many areas without electricity and drinking water supply.

So far, Himachal has suffered a total loss of Rs 4,489.05 crore while 229 persons have lost their lives in various natural disasters.