Heavy rains trigger landslides in Himachal, Mcleodganj cut off, school shut

A fresh spate of rain-related incidents has hit Himachal Pradesh after multiple landslides were reported on Friday, further disrupting life in the state, which has been hit hard by torrential rains during the past few months.

After a landslide struck near a prominent school in Shimla on Friday, which forced the administration to order the closure of the institution for two days, another such disaster struck Kangra district.

Tourist destination McLeodganj in the district was cut off following a massive landslide near a church. The landslide in the hill station blocked vehicular traffic, causing difficulty for the commuters.

In Shimla, the landslide occurred in the Himland area near the St. Edwards School, one of the oldest schools here, prompting the administration to order the closure of the institution for two days Friday and Saturday.

Circular road, the lifeline of Shimla, was closed at Himland throughout the day following the landslide. The traffic was diverted via Sanjauli Road and Khalini-Bemloe Road.

In the Kumarsain area of the district, a three-storey building collapsed on Thursday evening due to land subsidence. The incident occurred in the Karevathi panchayat.

Reports of damage came from Kinnaur too, where officials said a cloudburst occurred in Thach village on Thursday night.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued here, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu commended the swift and coordinated response of the Indian Army, the Kangra district administration and local residents for saving 13 families from severely damaged houses in the aftermath of the recent landslides that struck Bachwai village in Kangra's Thural village.

Moderate to heavy rains were witnessed in parts of the state where Naina Devi received 158.6 mm of rain since Thursday evening, followed by Nahan 41.4 mm, Bhattiyat 37.1 mm, Baldwara 28, Kangra 27.8 mm, Dharamshala 25.2 mm, Kahu 23.5 mm, Berthin 21.2 mm and Bilaspur 20 mm.

Thunderstorms were witnessed in Shimla, Kangra, Bhuntar, Murari Devi and Sundernagar while gusty winds with wind speed ranging between 35 to 39 kmph lashed Tabo and Bajaura, the MeT said.

Since the onset of monsoon this year, the Himalayan state has witnessed 47 cloudbursts, 98 flash floods and 148 major landslides, while 427 people have died. Of those dead, 243 lost their lives in rain-related incidents and 184 in road accidents. About 481 people have suffered injuries, while 46 are still missing.

A total of 425 roads, including three national Highways, namely NH 3 (Attari-Leh road), NH-5 (Old Hindustan-Tibet Road) and the NH-503A (Amritsar-Bhota road), were closed on Friday morning. A maximum of 144 roads have been closed in Mandi, followed by 110 in Kullu and 50 in Shimla district, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).

The SEOC also reported that 107 power transformers and 185 water supply schemes have been affected, leading to approximate losses of Rs 4,754 crore so far.

Himachal received an average rainfall of 1021.6 mm during the ongoing monsoon season from June 1 to September 19 against the normal rainfall of 701.7 mm, an excess of 46 per cent.