Flash flood in Kullu, Manali-Leh NH blocked

Kullu, July 25

Twenty sheep and three houses were washed away in a flash flood in a nullah at Palchan village here following a cloudburst in the Anjani Mahadev area of Manali around 1 am today. The debris brought in by the flood blocked the Palchan-Solang road, blocking the Manali-Leh national highway. Another house, the office building of mahila mandal and a private power project were also damaged in the natural disaster.

20 sheep, 3 houses washed away

• Twenty sheep and three houses were washed away in the flood following a cloudburst in the the Anjani Mahadev area of Manali.
• The debris brought in by the flood blocked the Palchan-Solang road, thus blocking the Manali-Leh national highway.
• The NH was later restored for the single-lane traffic in the afternoon.
• Due to the rising water level in the Beas, the road near Aloo Ground was inundated and a portion of the Kullu-Manali national highway had caved in near 15 Mile.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) swung into action, following which the NH was restored for the single-lane traffic in the afternoon. However, the essential traffic was diverted through the Rohtang Pass.

Khimi Devi, whose house was also swept away, said, “We heard a rumbling sound and it felt like an earthquake. We ran out of our houses to safer areas to save our lives. We were not able to save anything and everything was swept away within seconds.”

The Dhundi nullah was also flooded and the debris brought in by the flood had also accumulated along the snow gallery near Dhundi. Due to the rising water levels in the Beas, the road near Aloo Ground was also inundated and a portion of the Kullu-Manali national highway had caved in near 15 Mile. The retaining wall of a bridge at Kalath was also damaged in the disaster. As a result, the residents of Ruaru, Kulang, Nehru Kund and Patlikul had to spend a sleepless night.

Manali MLA Bhuvneshwar Gaur gave Rs 25,000 each to the affected families of Dhani Ram, Khimi Devi and Tej Ram. He also assured help to Suresh, whose house was damaged in the flood, and Prem, whose 20 sheep were washed away.

Kullu Deputy Commissioner Torul S Raveesh took stock of the rescue and relief operations in the affected areas. She said 13 persons of three families were rendered homeless and they had been temporarily accommodated in a school building. She added that immediate relief measures had been taken to help the flood victims. A rehabilitation plan would also be prepared for the natural disaster-hit families, she added.