Met warns of possible landslide in Himachal in next 24 hours

After Himachal Pradesh received heavy rainfall in districts like Shimla, Sirmaur, Mandi and Kangra, the Meteorological department on Wednesday has issued a warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours, hinting at the possibilities of a landslide.

Met Director Manmohan Singh told ANI that after heavy rains lashed almost the entire Himachal Pradesh, districts like Shimla, Sirmaur, Mandi and Kangra recorded very heavy rainfall.

"In the next 24 hours, all parts of Himachal may receive rain, while heavy rains may occur in Shimla, Sirmaur, Mandi, and Kangra districts," Singh told ANI.

"We issue warning for heavy and very heavy rainfall and sent an alert about the possibilities of landslide. Thus we can restrict movement of common people to sensitive areas," Singh stated.

"There is a possibility of heavy rain in Chamba district as well," Singh added.

Stating that a warning had been issued earlier about heavy to very heavy rainfall in Himachal, Singh said, "In such a situation, people are cautioned, especially the ones who live in sensitive areas."

Shimla district has received 76mm rainfall so far.

There were reports of link roads closure in the interiors of Shimla, Sirmaur, Mandi, Kangra and Kullu districts, hampering movement of traffic.

The road connectivity between Rajgarh in Sirmaur district and Solan town has been disrupted since Tuesday night following a landslide near Neri Ratoli.

A government spokesperson said the Satluj, Beas and Yamuna rivers and their tributaries are again in spate in Kinnaur, Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Bilaspur and Sirmaur districts.

Palampur, Dharamsala and Nahan towns recorded 155 mm, 123 mm and 15.2 mm rain, respectively.