Monsoon havoc: Himachal suffers Rs 1,753 crore loss, 266 roads blocked

The total loss caused by flashfloods and torrential rain in the state has touched Rs 1,753.63 crore. As per the Revenue Department records, till now, 106 persons have lost their lives in landslides, cloudbursts, flashfloods, etc. Also, the Public Works Department has suffered the maximum loss of Rs 880 crore, followed by the Jal Shakti Department (Rs 618 crore), the horticulture sector (Rs 27.43 crore) and the agriculture sector (Rs 11.45 crore).

Also, 266 roads, including the National Highway-305 in Kullu district, are closed for vehicular traffic in the state. As per the state’s Meteorological Department, heavy to very heavy rain is likely to continue for the next few days. The Met Department has issued orange and yellow alerts for heavy rain in various districts till August 8. Thereafter, light to moderate rain is likely to continue in some parts of the state.

An orange alert for heavy rain in Una, Bilaspur and Kangra districts and a yellow alert for heavy rain in Sirmaur, Mandi and Hamirpur districts on August 5 have been issued.

Meanwhile, heavy rain at isolated places and light to moderate rain continued in most places of the state during the past 24 hours. Kasauli in Solan district received the highest 82 mm of rain, followed by Naina Devi in Bilaspur (60 mm), Manali (45 mm), Shimla (22.8 mm), Kufri (13.8 mm), Dharamsala (12.1 mm), Palampur (11.6 mm), Mandi (5.2 mm) and Chamba (3 mm).