Monsoon withdraws from eight districts of Himachal

The southwest monsoon that arrived in Himachal Pradesh on June 20 has withdrawn entirely from eight out of 12 districts, the local meteorological centre said on Wednesday.

"The southwest monsoon has withdrawn from Chamba, Kangra, Una, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Solan, Sirmaur and Mandi districts, most parts of Kullu and Shimla districts and some parts of Lahaul-Spiti district today," the Met office said.

The conditions are favourable for its further withdrawal from remaining parts of the state in the next two to three days, it added.

Himachal Pradesh has received an average rainfall of 1,023.4 mm during the ongoing monsoon, surpassing the normal rainfall of 717.6 mm by 43 per cent. This season has seen the highest total rainfall since 1995, when 1,029.7 mm rain was recorded. However, the final data would be calculated on September 30.

Heavy rains this year triggered cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides, wreaking havoc in the state and causing an estimated loss of Rs 4,881 crore, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).

The Himalayan state witnessed 47 cloudbursts, 98 flash floods and 148 major landslides, while 454 people died since the start of monsoon.

Of those dead, 264 lost their lives in rain-related incidents and 190 in road accidents. Additionally, 498 individuals were injured, and 50 people are still reported missing.

As of Wednesday morning, 322 roads across the state remained closed, including two national highways -- NH 3 (Attari-Leh road) and NH-503A (Amritsar-Bhota road).

Mandi and Kullu districts were hit the hardest, with 105 and 101 roads closed respectively, according to the SEOC.

A total of 46 power transformers and 69 water supply schemes have been impacted, leading to estimated losses of Rs 4,881 crore, the SEOC reported.