‘Red’ alert for Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla, Solan, Kullu; 12 major bridges washed away. Top points

Heavy rain has lashed parts of Himachal Pradesh for days with no respite in sight. Several areas of the state saw flash floods with roads and highways being damaged due to incessant rainfall.

India Meteorological Department scientist Sandeep Kumar Sharma said, “A red alert has been issued for very heavy rainfall in Solan, Shimla, Sirmaur, Kullu, Mandi, Kinnaur, and Lahaul for the next 24 hours. Additionally, an orange alert has been issued in Una, Hamirpur, Kangra, and Chamba. A flash flood warning has been issued for Mandi, Kinnaur, and Lahaul-Spiti for the next 24 hours.”

Here are the top monsoon updates on Himachal Pradesh:

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued ‘red’ and ‘orange’ alerts for several districts of Himachal for the next 24 hours.

Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi faced flood-like situation on Tuesday as river Beas continued to swell due to heavy incessant rainfall. Several houses and roads have been damaged in the Mandi district.

Amid heavy rainfall a total of 12 major bridges have been damaged and infrastructure loss has been estimated between ₹3,000 crore and Rs. 4,000 crore, PTI reported.

Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Tuesday that he would visit parts of Mandi and Kullu.

He tweeted, “Today, I am visiting the flood affected area of District Mandi and Kullu to personally access the damage caused to human life and property by flash floods and heavy rains.”

A landslide took place near Six Mile area in Mandi which led to the closure of the Chandigarh-Manali national highway. Over 1200 roads including highways have been blocked due to the heavy rainfall.

The water flow around the Panchvakhtra Temple, which faced heavy flash floods on Monday after heavy rainfall, reduced on Tuesday.

Kullu Deputy Commissioner Ashutosh Garg, speaking to PTI, said, “The weather has improved since last night which has helped us make progress in our restoration work. I want to assure that the stranded people are being taken care of as seven relief camps have been set up in Kullu.”

An Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper has been requisitioned to airlift several tourists who have been left stranded in Chandertal in Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh. A rescue team from Kaza has also reached Kunzum Top. Over 300 people, mostly tourists, have been stuck in camps in these districts.

Amid heavy downpour, Shimla faced a drinking water shortage on Tuesday. The Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Ltd (SJPNL) had to supply water to residents through tankers. In Shimla, 1,418 water supply schemes have suffered damages.

Shimla Municipal Corporation Mayor Surender Chauhan on Tuesday said, “There has been a lot of loss to the state because of the disaster. Be it the water schemes, roads or the dams…In Shimla, we have hired private tankers and Nagar Nigam’s tankers are also providing water. With the use of tankers we are trying to reach as many places as possible. The localities in Shimla have narrow roads and therefore we are sending small tankers of water to those places as well”