Heavy rain in Shimla area, gushing water enters houses

Shimla, July 17

Gushing water entered 15 to 20 houses at Shalota in Kumarsain of Shimla district following downpour last night. Shimla DC Aditya Negi said the SDM was on the spot to monitor the situation. Two retaining walls apart from a house and a gaushala have suffered damages. The loss to property is being assessed.

Meanwhile, the Shimla– Kinnaur road has been closed for vehicular movement from 8 pm to 6 am, except for emergency vehicles at Negulsari in Kinnaur. The decision was taken after an incident of slide and shooting stones was reported last night.

The Kinnaur administration had set up a landslide early warning system at Negulsari. Police personnel have been deputed on the site to report any such signal, sources said. About 100 cusecs of water was released from the Karcham Dam as the Satluj, which is in spate in the wake of heavy rain.

As many as 37 roads — 16 in Kullu, 10 in Solan, five in Mandi, two each in Bilaspur and Kangra and one each in Chamba and Lahaul and Spiti districts — are blocked. As many as 96 transformers have been damaged and 24 water supply schemes disrupted.

The local MeT office has issued an orange warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall, thunderstorm and lightning at isolated places in low and middle hills and thunderstorm and lightning in high hills on July 20 and a yellow warning of heavy rainfall, thunderstorm and lightning in low and middle hills on July 18, 19 and 21.

Moderate to heavy rain lashed several parts of the state and Kasauli with 166.5 mm of rain was the wettest followed by Bilaspur (63), Manali (43 mm), Jhandutta (40 mm), Nahan (39 mm), Naina Devi, Mandi and Rampur (38 mm each), Pandoh (37 mm), Una (34 mm), Bhuntar and Kahu (22 mm each), Janjheli, Dalhousie and Gohar (20 mm each), Tinder (19 mm), Sunni, Dharamsala and Nalagarh (18 mm each) and Shimla (14 mm).