Heavy rain, cloudbursts disrupt life in Kinnaur; highway blocked

Ashish Negi

Kinnaur, August 11

Khab, Ka, Hango, Leo and other areas in Kinnaur have been severely affected by heavy rainfall and cloudbursts, disrupting daily life. The Pooh- Kaurik National Highway has been blocked, resulting a lot of inconvenience to residents.

Kinnaur’s upper areas, known as the cold desert, are experiencing widespread landslides due to the intense rainfall. Heavy landslides on the Leo and Hango connecting roads have completely blocked traffic. A cloudburst occurred last evening on the confluence of the Sutlej and Spiti rivers in Khab, damaging the National Highway.

Authorities have advised people to maintain a safe distance from the Sutlej river as water levels have risen due to the flushing operations conducted at the Nathpa Jhakri hydro power station. The Northern Region Load Dispatch Centre of the Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station carried out a scheduled flushing of the upstream 1000 MW Karcham Wangtoo HPS and 300 MW Baspa HPS. Approximately 1500 cumecs of water are being released from the Nathpa Dam.

As part of the planned flushing activities, the public has been urged to avoid going near the banks of the Sutlej river starting on the night of August 10. The administration has advised people to maintain a minimum distance of 50 to 100 metres from the banks

of the Sutlej and other nearby rivers and streams. Authorities have been instructed to ensure adequate safety measures and public awareness in areas near the riverbanks.

Several roads in the Kinnaur district have been blocked due to landslides and flashfloods caused by recent heavy rains. The National Highway NH-05, particularly the stretch from Pooh to Kaurik, has been affected by multiple landslides and flashfloods at various locations.

Three link roads each are blocked in Kalpa and one in Nichar divisions. Apart from the national highway, five link roads are also blocked in Pooh division.

The PWD has deployed JCB machines at several locations to clear the roads and efforts are on to restore connectivity.

Local authorities have advised residents and travellers to remain cautious and avoid non-essential travel in the affected areas until the roads are cleared.

Water discharge from Nathpa Dam

• People have been advised to maintain a safe distance from the Sutlej river as water levels have risen due to the flushing operations conducted at the Nathpa Jhakri hydro power station.
• The Northern Region Load Dispatch Centre of the Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station carried out flushing of the upstream 1,000 MW Karcham Wangtoo power station and 300 MW Baspa power station. Approximately 1,500 cumecs of water is being released from the Nathpa Dam.
• The PWD has deployed JCB machines at several locations to clear the roads and efforts are on to restore road connectivity.