The Chandigarh-Manali National Highway, which connects Mandi and Kullu, has been blocked due to continuous landslides and rockfall as heavy rains continue
to lash Himachal Pradesh. Nearly 200 people have lost their lives and over thirty people are missing as heavy rain caused damage to private and government property in the hill state. The meteorological department has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy precipitation at isolated places in three districts - Una, Bilaspur and Kangra. Several vehicles are stranded near Kainchi Mod on the Chandigarh-Manali National Highway after the highway was closed due to continuous landslides and rockfall from the hills. According to officials, 266 roads, including the Aut to Sainj National Highway 305, were closed for vehicular movement on Monday. A landslide at Panthaghati in the suburbs of Shimla city obstructed traffic on Mehli-Shogi bypass on Sunday night, with debris blocking the road and stones damaging some shops nearby, news agency PTI reported. Since Sunday evening, Kasauli received 82 mm of rainfall, followed by Naina Devi (62.6 mm), Jogindernagar (60 mm), Brahmani (49.2 mm), Manali (45.2 mm), Shimla (36.8 mm), Guler (29 mm), Mandi (27.2 mm), Pandoh (27 mm), Karsog (26.2 mm) and Sarahan (25.5 mm), according to the Met office. 192 Killed in Rain-Related Incidents, 266 Roads Closed Out of the 266 roads closed on Monday, 155 are in Mandi district, which was recently battered by cloudbursts, landslides and flash floods. Sixty-eight of the blocked roads are in Kullu district. Since the onset of monsoon on June 20, the state has incurred losses totalling Rs 1,714 crore till date; around 106 people have died in rain-related incidents while 36 are missing. In a statement, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said that nearly 95 water supply schemes affected by the recent rains and flash floods have been temporarily restored. According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), as many as 1,692 houses have been fully or partially damaged in the state, which has witnessed 54 flash floods, 28 cloudbursts and 48 major landslides so far. The fatalities include 20 drownings, 19 deaths from falls, 17 deaths from cloudbursts, eight from flash floods, and six from landslides.
