Solan paralysed: 30 roads blocked as rain wreaks havoc

Commuting across rural Solan district came to a grinding halt this morning, with nearly 30 roads blocked as incessant rainfall continued for the fourth straight day.

Arki and Solan subdivisions were the worst affected, with 14 roads each closed due to landslides. Nalagarh reported 10 blocked roads, while Kasauli subdivision saw 12 stretches disrupted by shooting stones, debris and uprooted trees.

In the past 24 hours, Kasauli recorded 4 mm of rain, while Solan and Kandaghat received 3 mm each. The continuous downpour has also triggered multiple landslides and ground movement.

Adding to residents’ woes, power supply in Kasauli, Baddi and Nalagarh remained erratic. Despite repair works on transformers, repeated faults occurred as trees fell on poles and wires. The outage crippled water supply for the third consecutive day in Kasauli, where residents said they were experiencing one of the worst water crises in years. “In the rainy season, either the water turns too muddy to drink or the supply stops altogether,” locals rued, adding that water supply had dropped to just two days a week.

Elsewhere, damage to property and agriculture has been widespread. A cowshed collapse killed livestock in Kandaghat subdivision last evening. Standing crops worth Rs 1.94 lakh, arable land valued at Rs 30.32 lakh and structural assets worth Rs 8 lakh have been lost to the rains.

Residential losses include six fully damaged concrete houses worth Rs 98 lakh, five kutcha houses valued at Rs 6.40 lakh and partial damage to another 19 houses worth nearly Rs 8 lakh. Twenty-one cowsheds and several retaining walls have also been destroyed.

In Kasauli subdivision alone, 12 roads bore the brunt of rain-induced damage, including Chandi Ghyan, Patta Ghrer, Barotiwala-Mandhala-Gunai, Bhojnagar-Chakki Mour, Parwanoo-Gadiyar, Joharji-Mallah, Jandauri-Pratha-Nabon, Garkhal-Dharampur via Moti Kona, Bhojnagar-Neri Kalan, Shaktighat Bandh and Barotiwala-Subathu-Kunihar.

With rain showing no sign of abating, the administration remains on high alert as efforts continue to restore connectivity and essential services.