Torrential rains wreak havoc in Mandi

Torrential rains since last evening have brought Mandi district to a standstill, with widespread landslides and flash floods causing extensive damage to houses, roads and public infrastructure. The disaster has triggered a major crisis across the region, with over 282 roads still blocked and several homes and structures damaged or destroyed.

According to Additional District Magistrate Dr Madan Kumar, a total of seven pucca houses, two kutcha houses, 28 cowsheds and one shop have been damaged due to landslides and heavy rainfall. A woman was also injured when a tree collapsed near her house during the downpour.

The damage is spread across multiple blocks of the district — three houses were damaged in the Sadar block, three in Gohar, one in Karsog, two in Dharampur and three in the Jogindernagar block. Continuous rainfall and unstable terrain are making restoration efforts difficult.

One of the worst-hit sectors is transportation. In the morning, 331 roads were reportedly blocked due to landslides, falling debris and flooding. By evening, 49 roads had been restored, leaving 282 still closed to traffic. However, key routes including the Kiratpur-Manali National Highway (NH-3), blocked at several points due to shooting stones and landslides, have now been restored. Kataula-Kamand, Mandi-Dharampur via Kotli, Mandi-Jogindernagar and Mandi-Rewalsar road have also been reopened after being blocked earlier.

Deputy Commissioner and chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority, Apoorv Devgan, said the district had suffered widespread damage to roads, drinking water schemes, power supply lines and other key infrastructure.

The Public Works Department (PWD) in the Mandi zone alone has estimated a loss of Rs 23 crore in the last 24 hours. A total of 158 machines have been deployed to restore damaged roads, while 35 roads in the Dharampur division were affected, of which 12 have been reopened.

The Jal Shakti Department has also reported massive disruption. As many as 491 drinking water schemes, 57 irrigation schemes and five sewerage systems have been hit, causing a provisional loss of Rs 31 crore. Over 2,500 workers have been deployed to restore partial water supply across affected areas.

The State Electricity Board’s Mandi operation circle too faced extensive damage. Preliminary estimates peg the loss at Rs 2.20 crore, with 657 transformers disrupted. Additionally, 7 km of high-tension line and 14 km of low-tension line have been damaged, while 40 electricity poles were either uprooted or completely destroyed due to landslides and floods.

Authorities have urged residents to stay indoors and follow instructions issued by disaster response teams. Restoration work continues across the district, but heavy rainfall and unstable terrain are making the task increasingly challenging. The Beas and its tributaries remain in spate, further escalating the risk of flash floods. Water is being released from the Pandoh dam in Mandi due to rise in water level in the Beas.