Shimla:

A total of 117 roads were closed for vehicular traffic in Himachal Pradesh as rain continues to lash several parts of the state, officials said on Friday.

The meteorological office has warned of moderate flash flood risk in parts of Shimla and Sirmaur districts until Saturday.

Light rain continued in some parts of the state and Guler recorded the maximum rainfall at 64.2 mm since Thursday evening, followed by Palampur (46.4 mm), Dharamshala (41 mm), Slapper (27.1 mm), Chopal (21.4 mm), Sangla (20.8 mm), Kalpa (20.3 mm) and Naina Devi (18.4 mm).

A maximum of 81 roads are closed in Shimla, 21 in Mandi, 10 in Kangra, three in Kullu and one each in Bilaspur and Sirmaur district, as per the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).

The number of power and water supply schemes affected by the rain in the state stand at 34 and 11, respectively, the SEOC said.

Since the monsoon onset in Himachal Pradesh on June 27, the state’s rainfall deficit till date stands at 20 per cent, with the state receiving 545.2 mm rainfall against an average of 682.4 mm.

According to the officials, 165 people died in rain-related incidents during the ongoing monsoon season from June 27 till Thursday (September 12), while 30 are still missing. The state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 1,323 crore, they said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Shimla:

A total of 197 roads, including two national highways, in Himachal Pradesh were closed following landslides and flash floods triggered by heavy rain over the past week, officials said on Monday.

Several areas in Una district were waterlogged while flash floods and landslides were reported in Chamba, Mandi, Kinnaur, Shimla, Sirmaur and Solan districts, they said.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri visited the flood-hit areas in Haroli, his home constituency in Una, where three girls were swept away on Sunday and industrial units and other utilities suffered losses.

The sudden rise in the discharge of water in Hum Khud (nullah) damaged several houses, factories, roads and power and water supply. Repair work is in full swing, Agnihotri said.

According to the officials, 110 people were killed in rain-related incidents and the state suffered losses of about Rs 1,004 crore between June 27 and August 12.

The State Emergency Operation Centre said 66 roads were closed in Shimla, 58 in Sirmaur, 33 in Mandi, 26 in Kullu, five each in Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti, and four in Kangra.

It said that 221 power and 143 water supply schemes were also disrupted on Monday.

The regional meteorological office has issued a ‘yellow’ alert for heavy rain in isolated parts of the state till Saturday and also warned of low to moderate risk of flash floods in parts of Chamba, Kinnaur, Sirmaur and Shimla districts till Tuesday.

Since Sunday evening, Nagal dam has recorded 115 mm of rainfall, followed by 87 mm in Kasauli, 56 mm in Una, 82.2 mm in Naina Devi, 79 mm in Olinda, 75.4 mm in Jatton barrage, 72.5 mm in Nadaun, 62 mm in Paonta Sahib, 60.6 mm in Sujanpur Tira and 56.5 mm in Dhaulakuan, the weather office said.

Rescue operations are underway to trace about 30 people who went missing after the July 31 flash floods in Kullu, Mandi and Shimla but there has been no major success so far, the officials said.

So far, 28 bodies have been recovered, they said.

Kukumseri in Lahaul and Spiti was the coldest place in the state with a night temperature of 11.3 degrees Celsius while Hamirpur was the hottest with a maximum temperature of 33.6 degrees.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A major landslide blocked a road on National Highway 707 near Shimla’s Rohana after heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh. The highway, which connects Hatkoti and Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh, has been closed.

A 30-second video shows a massive portion of a hill crumbling and falling on the road and large rocks blocking the route. 

So far, over 80 roads across Himachal Pradesh have been closed. Thirty-eight roads in Mandi, 14 in Kullu, five in Shimla, four in Sirmaur and one in Kangra district are closed for traffic following heavy rains on Saturday.

Heavy rain has battered the hill state over the last week, with rainfall in Kangra’s Dharamshala and Palampur exceeding the 200-mm mark.

The centre also said that 154 transformers are disrupted and 26 water supply schemes have been affected in the state.

A ‘yellow alert’ has been issued by the Shimla meteorological office, warning of heavy rain, thunderstorms and lightning over the next week till July 12. The weather office has also warned of flash floods in areas of Kangra, Kullu, Kinnaur, Mandi, Sirmaur and Shimla in the next 24 hours.

So far, the state has received 72.1 mm of rain against the normal of 35 mm, an excess of 106 per cent in July. Kukumseri in Lahaul and Spiti recorded the lowest night temperature at 11.6 degrees Celsius while Chamba was the hottest during the day with a maximum temperature of 34.1 degrees.

In neighbouring Utttarakhand, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to extremely heavy rain over the next few days. “Thunderstorms with lightning and intense to very intense spells are likely on July 8-9 in the hills and plains of the state,” the forecast said. 

Chamoli, Rudraprayag, and Pauri districts of Uttarakhand have been the worst affected.