Himachal’s monsoon losses cross Rs 1,000 crore as heavy rain continues
197 killed, 85 houses damaged; 88 roads remain blocked as Met Centre warns of heavy rain till August 21
The total loss caused by torrential rain during the ongoing monsoon season in Himachal Pradesh has crossed the Rs 1,000-crore mark, with heavy rain continuing to wreak havoc across the state.
According to the Department of Revenue, the state has suffered a total loss of Rs 1,001.71 crore since the onset of the monsoon. The Public Works Department accounts for the largest share, with losses of Rs 750.9 crore, followed by the Jal Shakti Vibhag at Rs 227.46 crore and the Power Department at Rs 5.3 crore.
As many as 197 persons have lost their lives in the state during the season. Of these, 116 deaths occurred in road accidents, while 81 were caused by natural disasters, including flash floods and landslides. Around 85 houses have also been completely damaged across the state.
As many as 88 roads remain blocked across the state after being damaged by heavy rain. According to the State Emergency Operation Centre, 32 of these roads are in Mandi, 25 in Kullu, 10 in Sirmaur, six each in Shimla and Kangra, four each in Una and Chamba, and one in Lahaul and Spiti.
In Shimla, traffic movement on the Totu-Shimla road was partially disrupted by a landslide. Teams from the district administration reached the spot and began clearance work, following which traffic was restored for one-way movement.
Two trees also fell in Shimla — one in Chhota Shimla and another in the Tutikandi area — disrupting traffic movement.
Meanwhile, the State Meteorological Centre has forecast heavy rainfall across the state till August 21, with orange and yellow alerts in place.
For August 19, a yellow alert has been issued for Shimla, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Hamirpur, Sirmaur and Chamba districts, with heavy rain likely at isolated places. Light to moderate rain is expected in other parts of the state.
Minimum temperatures are likely to remain normal, while maximum temperatures are expected to fall by 2°C to 3°C.
Light to moderate rain continued across most parts of the state during the past 24 hours. Nahan received the highest rainfall at 76 mm, followed by Dharamsala (48 mm), Bilaspur (29.4 mm), Kangra (25.8 mm) and Shimla (14.4 mm).
