SHIMLA, July 9:
Five people were killed as heavy rains pounded Himachal Pradesh on Sunday, triggering landslides and flash floods, damaging houses and paralysing normal life with authorities ordering the closure of schools and colleges for two days.
All major rivers are in spate, officials said, adding the local met office had issued a fresh red alert of extremely heavy rains (above 204 mm) in ten out of 12 districts, barring tribal districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti, on July 9.
Fourteen major landslides and 13 flash floods have been reported in the past 36 hours while over 700 roads have been closed, according to the state emergency operation centre.
Reports of shops being swept away in Manali, vehicles being washed away in flash floods at Nullah in Kullu, Kinnaur and Chamba and loss to agricultural land have also poured in. Several roads have also been closed in Shimla districts. Three members of a family were killed in a house collapse following a landslide due to rains in Kotgarh area of Shimla district. The deceased were identified as Anil, his wife Kiran and son Swapnil, officials said. A landslide also damaged a makeshift house near Kullu town, leaving a woman dead. In another incident, a person was buried alive following a landslide in Katiyan tehsil of Chamba on Saturday night.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed his condolences and said that the district administration has been directed to provide immediate relief to the affected families.
As many as 200 persons were stranded in Chandratal in Lahaul and Spiti. Superintendent of Police Mayank Chaudhary, who is on the spot, said that all the people are safe and food and essential medicines have been arranged.
They would be rescued in 1-2 days as the road is restored, he said.
The Himachal Pradesh Government has closed all the government and private schools and colleges affiliated with the state for two days (July 10 and 11).
In an office order issued here, Director of the Higher Education Department Amarjeet Sharma said that the schools affiliated with ICSE, CBSE and other boards can take decisions regarding closing schools at their own level.
As many as 736 roads have been closed for traffic while 1,743 transformers and 138 water supply schemes were affected on Sunday morning.
The national highways blocked included NH-21 Mandi to Kullu, NH-505 Gramphu to Locar, NH-03 Kullu to Manali, NH-305 Aut to Jalori and NH-707 Rohru to Poanta Sahib near Shillai in Sirmaur district.
National Highway 21 is blocked at 6 Mile (name of the place). This is the same place where the commuters were struck for almost 24 hours on June 27 last due to a landslide. Mandi-Kullu road via Kamand was also blocked near Ghoda farm. The Manali-Chandigarh also caved in near Manali.
All the major rivers, including Ravi, Beas, Satluj, Swan and Chenab, are in spate and tourists and commuters have been asked to avoid travelling during heavy rains and not to venture out near river bodies.
Deputy Commissioner of Kullu Ashutosh Garg said the Kullu-Manali road is blocked at several places due to landslides. Beas River is in spate near Ramshela and traffic has been halted from Kullu to Manali and Manali to Atal Tunnel.
He said landslides have also occurred on Mandi-Kullu road and only emergency vehicles are allowed on this stretch. The administration has asked the tourists and residents to avoid venturing out in heavy rains.
All the trains between UNESCO heritage Shimla and Kalka track have been cancelled as landslides and fallen trees blocked the railway track at many places.
Four tourists had a narrow escape on Saturday night as a rock fell on their vehicle near Chadol on the Chandigarh-Manali highway. The tourists were on their way to Manali when the incident occurred and were rescued by the locals.
Thirty college students stranded between Gramphu and Chota Dharra on Sundo-kaza-Gramphu (National Highway 505) following a roadblock due to landslide and flash floods at several places were rescued by the Lahaul and Spiti authorities on Saturday night.
Heavy to extremely heavy rains lashed several parts of the state in the past 24 hours.
Nangal Dam at Bilaspur received 282.5mm rain followed by Dehra Gopipur 175.4 mm, Una 166.2 mm, Chamba 146.5 mm, Dalhousie 143 mm, Nahan and Manali 131.2 mm, Bilaspur 130 mm, Dharamsala 126.4 mm, Gondla 112 mm, Kangra 108 mm, Solan 107 mm, Jubbarhatti 103 mm, Bhuntar 101 mm, Palampur 94 mm, Narkanda 88 mm, Sundernagar 83 mm, Mandi 80 mm, Shimla 79.4 mm and Mashobra 70 mm.
The local met office has cautioned of high flash flood risk over a few watersheds in Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Shimla, Sirmaur and Mandi districts. (PTI)
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