Three deaths were reported due to flash floods in Bathu Bathri village, Haroli tehsil, Una district, with one person still missing.
Heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh have caused landslides and flash floods, disrupting normal life across several districts. Una district was particularly hard hit, with water flooding houses and submerging roads.
Three deaths were reported due to flash floods in Bathu Bathri village, Haroli tehsil, Una district, with one person still missing. Among the deceased was a seven-year-old migrant girl from Bihar.
Machinery and materials were lost at the Bela Bathri Bathu Industrial Area in Khad, Una district, due to water flooding the industrial units following flash floods. Additionally, a petrol pump on Bathu-Bathri Road near the Garhshankar Bridge was washed away.
Flash floods were reported in the Una, Sirmaur, and Kinnaur districts, while landslides occurred in several districts, including Chamba, Bilaspur, Kullu, Mandi, and Shimla. Nearly three hundred roads across the state were blocked, including five national highways.
Various districts in the state were under an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall on Sunday. The weather office in Shimla has forecasted that the heavy rains will continue until August 17.
According to officials, out of 288 roads, 138 were closed on Friday and 150 on Saturday. Data from the State Emergency Operation Centre revealed that 96 roads were closed in Mandi, 76 in Shimla, 37 in Kullu, 33 in Sirmaur, 26 in Chamba, seven in Lahaul and Spiti, five in Hamirpur, and four each in Kangra and Kinnaur. Kinnaur district has been cut off from the state capital Shimla due to flash floods between Pooh and Kaurik and a landslide on National Highway 5 near Negulsari.
On Sunday, the Lahaul-Spiti police advised residents and travelers to avoid rivers, streams, and low-lying areas due to the risk of flash floods. The road to Killar was also blocked near Kadhu Nallah because of a landslide.
In Una, Deputy Commissioner Jatin Lal visited various flood-affected areas to assess the situation and review relief efforts. He instructed the government to expedite and enhance the relief and rescue operations to assist those affected.
Additionally, the Chandigarh-Manali highway was blocked for several hours due to a landslide that occurred at 10:00 pm on Saturday. Thousands of vehicles were stranded on both sides of the road, which had been blocked for the fifth consecutive night. The road was cleared for one-way traffic by 7:00 am on Sunday.
Flashflood alerts
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a flash flood alert for the districts of Bilaspur, Chamba, Kangra, Kinnaur, Mandi, Shimla, Sirmaur, and Solan. According to the weather office, there is a risk of surface runoff or flooding in areas with saturated soils and low-lying regions due to anticipated rainfall in the next 24 hours.