Shimla: A person died after a cloudburst triggered by heavy rain hit Himchal’s Sirmaur district. Amid the bad weather conditions, 26 roads, including a national highway, were closed, said officials on Thursday. Incessant rains have also affected several parts of the state, closing around 50 roads since Wednesday evening, bringing the total to 71, including NH-707.
A cloudburst in Parloni village resulted in one death, with the deceased, identified as Rangi, buried under debris. Following the incident, shops and other infrastructure were also damaged after a ‘gharat’ (water mill) collapsed in the Amboya area of the Poanta subdivision, according to Sirmaur Deputy Commissioner Sumit Khimta.
Road disruptions have been reported, and the water level in the Yamuna River has risen. Educational institutions have been closed for a day in the Poanta Sahib and Shallai areas of the district.
Met officials noted that Dhaulakuan in Sirmaur district was the wettest area, recording 275 mm of rain, followed by Poanta Sahib with 165.6 mm, and other regions such as Nahan (94.4 mm), Dharamshala (54 mm), and Kangra (38.3 mm).
At present, 26 roads are closed in Sirmaur, 24 in Mandi, 10 in Kangra, nine in Shimla, and two in Kullu, with 469 power supply schemes affected, according to the state emergency operation centre (SEOC).
Reports of rain and erratic power supply have emerged from various areas, including Shimla and Hamirpur districts. The local weather office has issued an ‘orange’ alert for heavy rain in isolated areas and a yellow warning for thunderstorms and lightning on Friday.
Warnings have been issued for low to moderate flash flood risks in parts of seven out of 12 districts, including Shimla, Sirmaur, Kangra, Chamba, Solan, Kullu, and Mandi until Friday.
Residents, especially school-going children and office workers, faced difficulties during the morning as dense fog blanketed the area amid ongoing rain, noted a local in Shimla.
As of Wednesday evening, there was a 19 percent rainfall deficit in the current monsoon season (from June 1), with Himachal Pradesh receiving 590.4 mm of rain against a normal of 729.5 mm. Officials reported that 183 people have died in rain-related incidents since the onset of the monsoon, while 28 remain missing, with the state suffering losses amounting to Rs 1,332 crore.
