Himachal rains shut 118 roads as orange alert rings across five districts

Torrential rains have battered Himachal Pradesh, disrupting life across the hill state and forcing the closure of 118 roads, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) sounded an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in five districts on Monday and Tuesday.

The latest spell of rain has lashed parts of Kangra district since Saturday evening, with Dharamshala recording 96.2 mm of rain, followed by Palampur at 55 mm and Kangra at 34.6 mm.

According to the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), Mandi bore the brunt of the disruption with 48 road closures, followed by Kullu with 32 and Chamba with 11. Sirmaur reported eight closures, Shimla seven, Kangra six, Una four and Lahaul and Spiti two.

The relentless downpour has also strained essential infrastructure, disrupting 216 water-supply schemes and 19 power transformers, officials said.

Rain toll mounts

The latest spell adds to the state’s mounting monsoon woes. Since the onset of the monsoon on June 30, rain-related incidents have claimed 79 lives, including 14 in landslides and one in a flash flood.

The deluge has also inflicted estimated losses of around Rs 972 crore, underscoring the growing toll on roads, utilities and other infrastructure across the mountainous state.

With the weather office warning of more intense rain in parts of the state, authorities remain on alert as saturated slopes and swollen waterways heighten the risk of landslides and further disruption.

With PTI inputs