Landslide blocks Himachal’s NH 707, more downpour expected

A landslide near Shillai in Himachal's Sirmaur district on Wednesday blocked National Highway 707 (Hatkoti to Paonta) as a huge part of the mountain fell, completely blocking vehicular movement.

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Restoration work is underway, but debris falling from the mountain is obstructing the work, officials said. This has led to long queues of vehicles on both sides of the slide.

Nearly 260 roads, including NH 707, are closed in the state, with 140 in disaster-hit Mandi district, 55 in Sirmaur and 35 in Kullu. Also, 171 water supply schemes and 151 power distribution transformers were affected as of Wednesday morning, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).

The local Met office has issued an 'orange' warning of heavy to very heavy rains in isolated parts of the state on July 21 and 22 (Monday and Tuesday) and a 'yellow' warning of heavy rains in isolated areas of one to seven out of 12 districts till July 20.

Meanwhile, light to moderate rains lashed some parts of the state, with Kothi, Jatton Barraga and Sarahan receiving 40 mm of rainfall each since Tuesday evening, followed by Dadahu with 30 mm, Nahan with 21.3 mm, Manali with 17 mm, Dhaulakuan with 16 mm and Narkanda with 15 mm.

Since the onset of monsoon on June 20 till July 15, about 106 people have lost their lives — 62 in rain-related incidents and 44 in road accidents, the SEOC said and added that 189 have been injured, while 35 are missing.

Himachal Pradesh has suffered losses of over Rs 818 crore. The state has witnessed 31 flash floods, 22 cloudbursts, and 18 landslides this monsoon, according to the department.