Landslides, road closures, school shutdowns as rains batter Himachal

Torrential rainfall on Tuesday plunged life into chaos across Himachal Pradesh, disrupting transport, halting train services, shutting down schools, and leaving thousands stranded as landslides and floods continued to ravage the state.

A total of 1,311 roads, including six national highways, were closed, and all train operations on the Shimla–Kalka route remain suspended until 5 September, officials said. The state’s emergency control centre also reported damage to power and water infrastructure, including 3,263 transformers and 858 water supply schemes.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for extremely heavy rain in isolated pockets of the state on Tuesday and an orange warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall on Wednesday.

Interior regions cut off, pilgrims stranded

Among the worst-affected areas, 289 roads are closed in Mandi, 241 in Shimla, 239 in Chamba, 169 in Kullu, and 127 in Sirmaur. The Shimla-Kalka Highway (NH 5), also known as the Hindustan–Tibet road, was blocked by a landslide near Sanwara in Solan, leaving a large number of vehicles stranded.

Other key routes blocked include NH 3 (Mandi–Dharampur), NH 305 (Aut–Sainj), NH 21 (Chandigarh–Manali), NH 505 (Khab–Gramphoo) and NH 707 (Hatkoti–Poanta Sahib).

The Dharampur–Kasauli road is also at risk of closure due to worsening conditions, while in interior belts, farmers — particularly apple growers — are struggling to transport produce to markets due to prolonged road blockages.

A house already declared unsafe during last year’s monsoon collapsed in Anni (Kullu) following a landslide, though no casualties were reported.

Schools closed, yatra hit, casualties mount

Schools and colleges across nine districts — Shimla, Kangra, Sirmaur, Una, Bilaspur, Chamba, Hamirpur, Lahaul and Spiti, and Solan — were ordered shut under the Disaster Management Act. Educational institutions in Banjar, Kullu and Manali subdivisions were also closed.

Efforts are ongoing to safely bring home around 5,000 Manimahesh pilgrims stranded in Chamba district, officials said. Sixteen pilgrims have died since the yatra began on 15 August.

The state recorded its heaviest rainfall in Naina Devi (198.2 mm) since Monday evening, followed by Rohru (80 mm), Jot (61.2 mm), and Baggi (58.5 mm), among other locations.

Since the monsoon began on 20 June, Himachal Pradesh has witnessed 327 rain-related deaths, with 41 individuals still missing, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC). The season has also seen 95 flash floods, 45 cloudbursts, and 115 major landslides, resulting in estimated damages worth Rs 3,158 crore.