Red alert triggers school shutdown in three Himachal districts

With torrential rain looming over the hills, Himachal Pradesh has ordered the closure of educational institutions across Kangra, Mandi and Sirmaur districts on 20 and 21 July after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall.

The weather office has forecast intense downpours in Chamba, Kangra, Mandi and Sirmaur on Monday, with the warning expanding to include Kullu on Tuesday, raising fears of flash floods, landslides and widespread disruption.

Responding to the warning, Kangra district magistrate Hem Raj Bairwa directed all government and private educational institutions to remain closed for two days. Similar orders were issued by Mandi deputy commissioner Apoorv Devgan and Sirmaur deputy commissioner Priyanka Verma.

The closure covers schools, colleges, vocational and technical institutes, anganwadi centres, crèches, the Central University of Himachal Pradesh and the Sanskrit University at Balyahar in Kangra. Examinations scheduled for 20 and 21 July have also been postponed.

While teaching and non-teaching staff have been granted leave, district authorities have said their services may be requisitioned for emergency response and disaster management if the situation worsens.

In Mandi, the shutdown extends to government and private schools, ITIs, DIETs, vocational training institutes, anganwadi centres and private daycare facilities. However, residential institutions, including IIT Mandi, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College and Hospital, Nerchowk, and other medical education institutions, will continue to function.

The precautionary measures come a day after a sudden flash flood triggered by a high-intensity cloudburst in Tubar Nallah near Rani Kanda along the Sangla–Chitkul route in Kinnaur unleashed widespread destruction.

Raging waters damaged a bridge over the Tubar Nallah and blocked the strategic road linking Chitkul with the Tibet border and Uttarakhand, severing a crucial supply route used by the Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) to access forward posts near the frontier.

With the monsoon intensifying, the state administration has shifted into high-alert mode. Chief secretary Kamlesh Kumar Pant has directed all deputy commissioners to activate district emergency operation centres round the clock, identify vulnerable locations prone to landslides, flash floods and cloudbursts, and implement preventive measures without delay.

Quick Response Teams, the State and National Disaster Response Forces (SDRF and NDRF), Home Guards, fire services, police personnel and ambulance services have been placed on standby to respond to any emergency.

Authorities have urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel, stay away from rivers, streams, nallahs and landslide-prone slopes, and refrain from crossing flooded roads or overflowing bridges. Citizens have also been advised to follow official weather advisories and contact emergency helplines in case of distress.

As dark clouds gather over the Himalayan state, Himachal braces for another spell of nature's fury, hoping preparedness can blunt the impact of an unforgiving monsoon.

With PTI inputs