Torrential rain closes 185 Himachal roads; IMD issues orange alert

Torrential rains have led to the closure of 185 roads in Himachal Pradesh, and the Shimla Met Office on Saturday issued an 'orange alert' for heavy to very heavy rains at isolated places in the state on Monday and Tuesday.

According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), 77 water supply schemes and 104 transformers were also disrupted as of Saturday morning.

A total of 92 roads were blocked in Mandi, followed by 48 in Kullu, 14 each in Chamba and Shimla, 9 in Sirmaur, 5 in Kangra and 3 in Una district, officials said.

Since the monsoon began on June 30, 65 people have died in rain-related incidents so far, including 14 in landslides and one in flash floods.

 

The state has suffered losses totalling Rs 834 crore, they said.

The weather department has predicted a wet spell in the state till August 14.

Light to moderate rain lashed several parts of the state since Friday evening. Dharamshala recorded the highest rainfall at 48.1 mm, followed by Bajaura (31.5 mm), Manali (22 mm), Slapper (21.8 mm), and Bhuntar (21 mm). Murari Devi received 20 mm, Kothi 18 mm, and Jogindernagar 16 mm, while Sarahan recorded 15.6 mm. Sundernagar and Shimla each received 15 mm.