SHIMLA, July 28: Moderate to heavy rains affected parts of Himachal Pradesh, including state capital Shimla, with landslides causing significant damage in Chamba district where about a dozen vehicles and many houses were buried in debris.
According to the state emergency operation centre (SEOC), a total of 108 roads were closed due to landslides and flash floods triggered by torrential rains on Monday evening, while 38 water supply schemes and nine transformers have been disrupted.
The Met office on Tuesday said there was a moderate flash-flood threat in a few watersheds and neighbourhoods in seven out of 12 districts in the state, namely Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Sirmaur and Solan, in the next 24 hours.
An orange warning was issued for heavy to very heavy rains in isolated areas of four to five districts of Himachal Pradesh till July 30 and on August 3.
Inundation may occur at some fully saturated soils and low-lying areas, the Meteorological Department has said, urging people to avoid venturing near rivers and streams and to heed weather warnings.
In Bhariad village in Chamba, many families were forced to evacuate their houses after the seasonal rivulets suddenly changed course.
Streams and drains were overflowing due to the downpour. There were reports of about a dozen vehicles, including cars, trucks and two-wheelers, being buried under debris following a landslide near Bhariad on Udaipur-Golthi-Navodaya road.
Landslides deposited large quantities of debris onto roads and in residential areas. Boulders carried by the strong current of the Tadoli Nallah surged into a store, completely destroying it.
The debris also entered several nearby homes, causing significant distress to residents. The Sultanpur Nallah also turned ferocious, further compounding the difficulties for locals.
Monsoon remained active in several parts of the state over the last 24 hours with moderate to heavy rains. Jot in Chamba district received 137.8 mm of rainfall, followed by Naina Devi 118 mm, Murari Devi 83 mm, Ghamroor and Shimla 58.2 mm each, Brahmani 54.6 mm, Joggindenagar 52 mm, Malraon 47 mm, Olinda 44 mm, Hamirpur 43 mm and Nagrota Suriyan 42.2 mm.
Due to transformer failure at stage-2 of Satluj Water Supply Project and heavy silt and flooding at the other water sources, there could be disturbance in water supply in Shimla for the next few days until the transformer issue is resolved, a statement issued by the Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited (SJPNL) on Tuesday said.
The Shimla Met office on Tuesday issued an orange warning of heavy to very heavy rains in isolated areas of four to five districts of Himachal Pradesh till July 30 and on August 3.
Peak rainfall activity would be observed between late night on July 29 and July 31. During this time, many areas of the state are likely to experience continuous light to moderate rain, with heavy to very heavy rainfall occurring at some locations, said a scientist at the Meteorological Centre, Shimla, Sandeep Kumar Sharma.
So far, landslides and flash floods have claimed 15 lives in Himachal during the ongoing monsoon season since its onset on June 30 till date. (PTI)
