Monsoon hits Himachal Pradesh; heavy rains, landslides damage vehicles, block roads, disrupt water supply

Shimla, June 24

Heavy rains lashed many parts of Himachal Pradesh as Southwest Monsoon hit the state on Saturday, triggering landslides, blocking roads, damaging vehicles, disrupting water supply and leading to cancellation of trains on the Shimla-Kalka narrow gauge section.

All the seven trains were cancelled as the Kalka-Shimla heritage line was obstructed at several places between Kaithlighat and Dharampur due to landslides following heavy rains, station master Joginder Singh said, adding that the track would be restored by late evening.

About 300 goats perished and more than 50 sustained injuries in an avalanche in the higher reaches of Chamba district.

Gushing waters swept debris and stones in Shimla town damaging house and some vehicles parked on the roadside.

Officials from the Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited said drinking water supply will be hit for the next few days in the city.

Several parts of the state received moderate to very heavy rain from Friday, with MeT officials saying heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur in Sirmaur, Solan, Shimla, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur, Mandi and Kangra districts over the next few days.

The Met Office has issued “orange” warning indicating heavy to very heavy rain, thunderstorm, and lightning at isolated places on June 25 and 26 and “yellow” warning indicating thunderstorm and lightning on June 27 and 28.

Kataula in Mandi district was the wettest with 163.3 mm of rain, followed by Sinhuta 160 mm, Kasauli 145 mm and Kangra 143.5 mm.

Shimla received 99.2 mm of rain, followed by Gohar (81 mm), Jubbarhatti (76.5 mm), Pandoh (74 mm), Sundernagar (70 mm), Pachhad (65.2 mm), Mandi (58.5 mm), Kufri (58 mm), Mashobra (52 mm), Dhaulakaun (48.5 mm), Dharamshala (47 mm), Solan (44 mm) and Nahan (39 mm).

Heavy rains triggered landslides at several places and 20 roads, including a section of the National Highway-5 near Theog in Shimla, were blocked, according to the state emergency operation centre.

A house was completely damaged in the Krishna Nagar area in the heart of Shimla. The incident occurred around 4 am on Saturday. However, no casualty was reported, officials said.

About 290 goats were killed and 50 were injured in an avalanche that occurred near Kugti Jot in Bharmour area of Chamba district, officials said, adding the goats belonged to nine shepherds.

Officials from the Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited said water supply will be hit for the next few days due to heavy silt load in the water sources and have requested the citizens to use water judiciously.

Turbidity increases during the rainy season which can interfere with disinfection, allowing harmful bacteria, viruses and parasites to grow. Therefore, the general public has been asked to drink water after boiling it for 10 minutes to avoid jaundice, cholera and other gastrointestinal illnesses, they said.

The weather department has advised to arrange for a drainage facility and avoid irrigation during spells of heavy rainfall and cautioned that damage may occur to standing crops, fruit plants and seedlings.