Heavy rains trigger landslides, flash floods across Himachal; red alert issued

Heavy rainfall triggered fresh landslides and flash floods across Himachal Pradesh since Monday night, 25 August, damaging infrastructure and inundating several residential areas. While shops were swept away, buildings collapsed and highways were cut off, officials confirmed that no loss of life has been reported so far.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in Kangra, Chamba, and Lahaul-Spiti districts, along with an orange alert for Una, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Solan, Mandi, Kullu, and Shimla.

In Kullu district, strong currents of the Beas river washed away a multi-storey hotel and four shops in Manali, while floodwaters entered residential areas and blocked the Manali-Leh highway. In Mandi, two buildings housing around 40 shops collapsed in Balichowki late Monday night; no casualties were reported as they had been vacated earlier. Flash floods were also reported from Kanvi in Kinnaur district.

As a precaution, district administrations in Mandi, Kangra, Chamba, Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Solan, Banjar (Kullu), and Shimla ordered the closure of all educational institutions on Tuesday.

Shimla has been battered by heavy rain since Monday, causing landslides, uprooting trees, and blocking several roads. deputy commissioner Anupam Kashyap said schools and colleges would remain closed due to safety concerns.

According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), 795 roads remain closed across Himachal, including NH-3 (Mandi–Dharampur) and NH-305 (Aut–Sainj). Power supply to 956 transformers and 517 water supply schemes has been disrupted. Mandi (289), Chamba (214), and Kullu (132) districts are the worst affected.

Since 20 June, rain-related disasters have claimed 156 lives and left 38 missing in Himachal Pradesh. The state has recorded 77 flash floods, 41 cloudbursts, and 81 major landslides so far, causing estimated losses of over ₹2,394 crore.

Between 1 June and 25 August, Himachal has received 703.7 mm of rainfall against an average of 577.9 mm — a 22 per cent excess. August alone has seen 44 per cent above-normal rainfall.

With PTI inputs