Red alert for extremely heavy rain in Mandi, Sirmaur, Kangra tomorrow

The state is reeling under intense heavy rainfall over the past one week and another spell of heavy to extremely heavy rain has been forecast tomorrow onwards till July 9. The weather department has issued a red alert for heavy to extremely heavy rainfall from July 6 noon till the noon of July 7. For other days till July 9, the department has issued an orange alert for heavy rain.

The red alert for extremely heavy rainfall has been issued for Mandi, Kangra and Sirmaur districts. Mandi has already sustained massive damage to property and loss of lives over the past one week due to several cloudbursts and flashfloods. As per the weather department, Mandi district has received 426 per cent more than normal rainfall over the past one week. The red alert for another round of extremely heavy rain will not only push people into deep anxiety but will also hamper the rescue and rehabilitation efforts underway in the disaster-hit district.

During this period, Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Solan, Shimla and Kullu districts are also likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall. In the districts where a red alert has been issued, the weather department has warned of landslides, mudslides, subsidence, flooding in river catchment areas, flashfloods and widespread damage to horticulture and standing crops.

Meanwhile, around 300 roads are still blocked in the state and around 790 drinking water schemes have been damaged. Around 332 power transformers have also been disrupted.

The weather department has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall very likely at isolated places in Kangra and Mandi districts tomorrow while heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in Chamba, Sirmaur, Shimla and Kullu districts.

A red alert for very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in Kangra, Sirmaur and Mandi districts and an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Chamba, Solan, Shimla and Kullu have been issued for July 6.

For July 8, there is an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Sirmaur, Solan, Shimla and Kullu districts.