Heavy rains lash several parts of HP

Heavy rains lashed several parts of Himachal Pradesh, triggering landslides, blocking roads and disrupting electricity supply even as the region received deficit rains during the current monsoon season.

Parts of Sirmaur district were lashed by heavy rains and about 20 roads, including some state highways, were closed due to landslides and hundreds of vehicles were stranded on either side of road blocks.

A car was washed away in a major landslide on the Dadahu-Koti-Deman road, while over four dozen roads, mostly in Sirmaur and Shimla distrits, were closed due to hill slips and heaps of debris on the roads.

"Efforts are on to clear the roads, but fresh landslides are occurring every day," said Public Works Department officials.

A huge tree was uprooted near the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), but a major tragedy was averted as the tree hung on overhead power transmission lines disrupting power supply. The road remained closed for three hours, while power supply was restored by the evening.

Renuka received the highest rainfall in the state at 132 mm followed by Baijnath 125 mm, Dharamshala 105 mm Palampur 77 mm rains, Sarkaghat 73 mm, Jogindernagar 51 mm, Kandaghat 50 mm, Nahan 47 mm, Rajgarh 43 mm, Gaggal 39 mm, Manali 37 mm, Jubberhatti and Dharampur 25 mm, Sundernagar and Hamirpur 20 mm, Kufri 19 mm, Solan 18 mm and Shimla 15 mm.

The local Meteorological (MeT) office has warned of heavy rains at isolated places in the lower and mid hills on July 23 and also forecast rains and thunderstorm in the mid and lower hills and rains and snow in the higher hills from July 23 to July 28.

There was no significant change in the maximum temperatures and Una in Shivalik foothills was hottest in the state with a high of 32 degrees Celsius, followed by Bhuntar 31.2 degrees Celsius, Sundernagar 30.4 degrees Celsius, Dharamsala 28.2 degrees Celsius, Keylong 25 degrees Celsius, Nahan and Solan 23.5 degrees Celsius, Palampur 23.8 degrees Celsius, Kalpa 21.4 degrees Celsius and Shimla 20.8 degrees Celsius.