Cloudburst spoils pea, maize crops in Kullu

Our correspondent

Kullu, September 30

A cloudburst in the higher reaches caused destruction in the Raghupur valley of Anni subdivision in Kullu district today. Cultivable land and standing crops were damaged in the Balagarh area and Raghupur Garh. There was chaos in the Raghupur valley following the ingress of flood water and slush into various areas.

Maize, pea and pulse crops were damaged. In many places, apple plants in orchards were washed away by the heavy flow of debris. More than six pedestrian paths along the Rohachla-Fanauti-Juhad road were also damaged.

Earlier, a cloudburst on September 22 had caused heavy damage in the region. Fanauti panchayat president Daulat Chauhan said that the valley had witnessed the second cloudburst in a short period. He added that no loss of life or livestock in the natural disaster had been reported.

He said that link roads to many villages had been damaged. The local administration should carry out the restoration work at the earliest and compensate affected residents for their losses.