Cloudburst in Rampur, bridge washed away, crops damaged

Flashfloods triggered by a cloudburst destroyed a bridge, apple trees and several crops at Dhanpal Kanda village in Koot gram panchayat in Rampur subdivision of Shimla district today.

Locals said standing crops were completely destroyed and several apple saplings were buried under debris. A major bridge and three smaller ones, which connected Koot village to neighbouring areas, were swept away. The main road leading to the panchayat office has also been damaged due to a landslide. However, the locals are somewhat relieved as the main bridge in the village remains intact.

In a separate incident, two electricity poles at Khiuncha village were swept away in a landslide triggered by the downpour, resulting in power outage in the area.

Ratna Dogra, pradhan of Koot panchayat, said that the cloudburst occurred around midnight on July 29. “Thankfully, there has been no loss of life, but the cloudburst caused extensive damage to property and infrastructure,” he added.

Rampur SDM Harsh Amrender Singh said that a revenue team would visit Koot panchayat to assess the damage caused by the cloudburst.