Schools, colleges closed in several districts as heavy rains trigger flash floods in Himachal
Himachal Pradesh’s cumulative monsoon death toll since June 20 has climbed to 276, of which 143 people have died in rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods, and house collapses, while 133 lost their lives in road accidents, according to the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management
Schools and colleges in parts of Una, Kullu, and Mandi districts will remain closed due to heavy rainfall that has disrupted daily life in several parts of Himachal Pradesh, officials said on Wednesday.
As a precaution, schools in the Amb and Gagret subdivisions of Una were closed. Following reports of landslides, cloudbursts, and flash floods, similar directives were given for Manali and Banjar in Kullu, as well as portions of Mandi district, according to PTI sources.
Flash floods at Kullu’s Shastri Nagar Nallah caused by heavy rain damaged homes and cars. Mahant Gopal Dass, the head of the Kullu Municipal Council, stated that although many were afraid, no one was killed. A footbridge in the Mandi district’s Silbhudhani hamlet washed away Monday night due to landslides, flash floods, and cloudbursts, according to officials. Additionally, nearby streams like Bhubu and Kungri are overflowing. To ensure the safety of the youngsters, schools in neighboring villages were closed on Wednesday.
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Shimla-Mandi highway severely damaged
National Highway-305 in Kullu and NH-154 in Mandi remained blocked due to road sinking and landslides, while dozens of key link roads were rendered impassable in districts including Mandi, Kullu, Kangra, Sirmaur and Chamba.
Kullu reported the heaviest disruption with 125 roads closed, 281 power distribution transformers (DTRs) damaged, and 56 water supply schemes affected. Mandi followed with 174 roads blocked, 98 DTRs down, and 60 water supply schemes disrupted.
Field reports indicated several areas in the Lug Valley, Manikaran, Sainj, Jibhi, Mandi-Jogindernagar stretch and Thangi-Charang in Kinnaur were utterly cut off. Restoration work was underway, but was being hampered by continuing rainfall and fresh landslides.
Authorities have urged people to avoid travel on vulnerable stretches and warned of possible further disruptions as the monsoon remains active.Â
(With inputs from ANI)
