Himachal cloudbursts: Relief, rescue operations continue in Samej village

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Relief and rescue operations are being carried out in the flood-affected Samej village near Rampur in Shimla following the catastrophic cloudbursts that occurred on August 1.

Additionally, the Indian Meteorological Department has predicted very heavy rainfall (115.6-204.4 mm) across various areas in Himachal Pradesh on August 7.

According to the data from State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), 85 roads, including two National Highways (NH), have been closed in the state due to landslides and excessive rain.

A total of 116 electricity supply schemes and 65 water supply schemes have also been disrupted in the state.

An incident of a catastrophic cloudburst occurred in the Lahaul and Spiti districts on Monday. Visuals from the Chicham area showed two bridges washed away due to the cloudburst.

Previously, on August 5, the Public Works Department (PWD) of the state continued its sincere efforts to restore normalcy and conduct search operations in the flood-affected regions of the state.

Addressing the media in Shimla, PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh assured the public that the state is fully prepared to handle any emergency situations, especially with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing rain warnings.
 

"We are trying our best to search and restore the affected areas," said Singh.

"There are nearly 80 roads closed in the state, and there has been a loss of 300 crore rupees to the PWD. In the districts of Kullu and Shimla, search and relief operations are ongoing. Bodies are being recovered, and I have personally visited the sites. In Mandi, 8 bodies have been recovered, and 30 people are still missing. Rescue operations by the SDRF, NDRF, and other central and state agencies are continuing to search for the missing people," he added.

The minister highlighted the urgent need to restore infrastructure, mentioning the deployment of three bailey bridges and a request to the Chief Minister to procure additional bridges worth 20 crore rupees to better prepare for future disasters.

"We are trying to do our best to restore the situation to normal. The Chief Minister has spoken to the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister, but so far, we have not received any financial assistance from the Union government. We hope that we will get help soon," Singh said.