Devastating flash floods and cloudbursts, triggered by heavy rainfall, hit parts of Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday evening, leaving several injured and burying
scores of vehicles under debris. Several bridges were washed away in Shimla and Lahaul and Spiti districts, while over 300 roads, including two national highways, have been closed as monsoon rain intensified across the hill state. Kullu, Shimla, and Lahaul-Spiti districts are reported to be the most affected, according to state officials. The Army rescued four people, including one injured, from the higher reaches of Rishi Dogri valley in Kinnaur district. The bridge across the Sutlej river was inundated. The site was an active road construction zone under CPWD towards Gangthang Bralam, the Army said. On receiving an urgent request from the superintendent of police, Kinnaur, the Army immediately mobilised a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) column. Braving darkness, fast currents and unstable terrain, the team reached the location and discovered four civilians stranded on the far bank of the river, the statement said. It said the rescued civilians were taken to the Army camp in Pooh. Plans are in place to bring the stranded individuals back to the home bank once the water recedes. In Shimla, heavy rainfall over the Shrikhand hills late Wednesday afternoon triggered sudden flash floods in the Ganvi and Nanti streams and the Kurpan stream in Kullu district's Nirmand subdivision, causing large-scale damage to infrastructure and property. The District Disaster Management Authority confirmed that people are safe in houses situated at the upper reaches. One HRTC (Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation) bus and an ambulance are stuck on the other side of the Ganvi rivulet. A motorable bridge in Ganvi, located about 160 kilometres from the state capital, Shimla, was totally damaged and collapsed after floodwaters surged through the Ganvi Khad. The police post building in Ganvi was buried under debris, while the village bus stand was destroyed. A police post was swept away in fresh floods in Ganvi Ravine. Several roadside eateries near the bus stop were also damaged, officials said. The connectivity in three Gram Panchayats - Ganvi, Kiao and Koot has also been hampered after two bridges were washed away by the flash floods, officials said. However, no casualty has been reported so far. Two more bridges were washed away due to floods triggered by cloudbursts in Karpat, Changut and Udgos Nala of the Mayad valley of the tribal Lahaul and Spiti district.
325 Roads Closed; Very Heavy Rain Warning in 3 Districts
A total of 325 roads, including two national highways, have been closed in Himachal Pradesh amid rains.
The Aut-Sainj road, which is part of NH-305, and the road from Khab to Gramphoo (NH-505) were among the roads closed for vehicular traffic on Wednesday morning.
Of these, 179 roads were in Mandi district and 71 in the adjoining Kullu district, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).
"The situation turned severe due to heavy rainfall over the high Shrikhand hills," Rampur Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Harsh Amrender Singh was quoted as saying by ANI.
In Kullu district's Nirmand subdivision, heavy rainfall near Shrikhand Mahadev and Bhimdwari areas triggered flooding in the Kurpan stream, sweeping away several pedestrian bridges connecting local villages.
Speaking to ANI, an eyewitness, Suresh, said, "This evening's flood in Ganvi khad caused a lot of damage. The bus stand and some shops were hit, and two bridges were washed away."Another local resident, Ved Prakash, said, "At around 4.30 pm, a flood hit the Ganvi khad, sweeping away one motorable bridge and one pedestrian bridge. The bus stand and a roadside eatery were destroyed. The police post building has also been filled with debris."
The local MeT office has issued an orange alert for likely heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places in the three districts of Chamba, Kangra, and Mandi on Thursday, and a yellow alert of heavy rain in isolated areas of four to six districts from Friday to Sunday.
Baldwara received 31 mm of rain, followed by Kasauli 23 mm, Naini Devi 18.2 mm, Sarahan 15 mm, Baggi 14.6 mm, Karsog 13.2 mm, Bajaura 10.5 mm and Jot 10 mm.
So far, since the onset of the monsoon on June 20, the state has incurred losses to the tune of Rs 2031 crore, officials said on Wednesday.
As many as 126 people have died in rain-related incidents in the state this monsoon season, while 36 are missing. The state has witnessed 63 flash flood incidents, 31 cloudbursts and 57 major landslides so far.
With inputs from agencies
