The monsoon crisis is not over yet in Himachal Pradesh. Many parts of the state have received heavy rainfall. Kangra, Sirmaur and Bilaspur districts received heavy rainfall last night.
The Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rainfall in all the 10 districts except Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur in the next 24 hours. People have been advised to remain alert as there is a danger of floods in Kangra and Chamba districts. A yellow alert for heavy rainfall has been issued in some places of the state till August 21.
There is a possibility of flood in Kangra and Chamba
Director of Meteorological Centre Shimla Kuldeep Srivastava said on Thursday that there is no hope of relief from rain yet. There is a possibility of flood in Kangra and Chamba districts during the next 24 hours. A yellow alert for heavy rain has been issued in some places of the state till 21st August. He has instructed people and tourists coming from outside to keep distance from rivers and streams.
Temperature drops due to rain
He said that Kangra recorded the highest rainfall of 155 mm last night. Apart from this, Dharamsala received 150 mm, Palampur 143 mm, Nahan 119 mm, Naina Devi 78 mm, Jot 69 mm, Dehra Gopipur 67 mm, Paonta Sahib 48 mm and Salapad 37 mm. Intermittent rain is continuing in the capital Shimla as well. The average minimum temperature of the state has dropped by 2.1 degrees due to the rain.
Two national highways and 126 roads closed due to landslide
Due to heavy rains, landslides have blocked roads at many places and people are facing difficulty in commuting. According to the State Emergency Operation Center, two national highways and 126 roads were blocked due to landslides on Thursday morning. 76 roads are blocked in Shimla, 18 in Mandi, 13 in Kullu, eight in Sirmaur, five in Kangra, three in Kinnaur, two in Lahaul Spiti and one in Chamba. NH-5 in Kinnaur and NH-707 in Sirmaur are also closed.
Apart from this, 105 electricity transformers and 47 drinking water schemes are also stalled. There is a power outage due to the shutdown of 48 transformers in Chamba and 43 in Mandi. 21 drinking water schemes in Chamba and 18 in Kullu are closed and the supply of drinking water has been affected in these districts.
Loss of Rs 1008 crore, 201 people lost their lives
The state has suffered a loss of 1008 crores so far due to monsoon. This includes the maximum loss of 470 crores to the Public Works Department and 466 crores to the Water Power Department. In the last 49 days of the monsoon season, 201 people have died in rain-related accidents. Out of these, 88 people died in road accidents. Three people died due to landslides, six due to floods, 15 due to cloudburst, 23 due to being swept away by the strong current of water and 31 due to slipping from a height. The maximum number of 21 people died in Mandi and the minimum number of three people died in Kinnaur.
