Monsoon is taking a toll on the pristine state of Himachal Pradesh. Over 21 people have lost their lives in a span of just 2 days.
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Heavy rains in the last 24 hours have devasted the state of Himachal Pradesh. A cloudburst, landslides, and collapse of buildings have claimed as many as 21 lives. Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu released a video on X (erstwhile Twitter) to confirm the death toll. He has extended his deepest condolences to the family members of the victims.
The Chief Minister has also cautioned the people living near streams, rivers, and drains. He has requested people to stay indoors and instructed the local authorities to remove people and livestock from landslide-prone areas, to minimize life loss.
An incident of cloudburst occurred today morning in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh. Earlier reports claimed that the death toll of the cloudburst tallied around 7. The cloudburst happened in Jadon Village of Dhawla Sub-Tehsil in Solan district. The CM confirmed the incident through a tweet. He remarked that the news coming in this morning has left him devastated. In the tweet apart from showing empathy toward the family members of the deceased, he also instructed the local authorities to take appropriate actions for safeguarding lives in the region.
Gaurav Singh, the Superintendent of Police, in Solan district, has released the names of the victims. The list includes the following names: adults- Kamal Kishore (aged 35), Hemlata (34), Harnam (38), and children- Raksha (12), Neha (12), Rahul (14), and Golu (8).
In Mamligh village of Kandaghat subdivision, Solan district, six people were rescued after the cloudburst. As per the reports of the news agency ANI, the flash flood that resulted due to the cloudburst washed away 2 houses and 1 cowshed.
There was another tweet from the official handle of Himachal Pradesh’s Chief Minister, approximately 1.5 hours later. He confirmed that nine dead bodies that were buried under the debris of a Temple have been pulled out.
He wrote in the tweet that nine bodies have been pulled out from the spot where the Shiv Mandir stood in Shimla’s Summer Hill. He prayed for the souls of the deceased. The tweet also mentioned that the local authorities are working with due diligence to retrieve the others who might be trapped beneath the debris.
Heavy monsoon has resulted in a couple of landslides in Shimla City. Aditya Negi, the Deputy Commissioner of Shimla told the news agency PTI that 15 to 20 individuals are feared to be trapped in the mud and slush. One of these incidents took place in Shimla City, while the other occurred in the Fagli area.
Life disrupted in Himachal Pradesh:
21 people have died due to the rains in the last 48 hours.
The heavy downpour in Himachal Pradesh has forced the state emergency center to close 752 roads. The educational institutions have been kept closed to preserve the safety of students in the hill state. All exams of the Postgraduate classes that were supposed to be held on 14th August have also been canceled.
Uttarakhand, the neighboring hill state of Himachal Pradesh, is also seeing similar devastation and loss.
The Rainfall is likely to continue:
The Indian Meteorological Department, on Sunday, said that this fresh spell of destructive rainfall in Himachal Pradesh, is being caused by a Western disturbance. They added that since the Monsoon line is prevailing on the foothills of the Himalayas, the Westerly winds are getting attracted to it.
The IMD has said that moderate to heavy rainfall is likely to continue in the state, especially in pockets of Kullu, Chamba, Hamirpur, Shimla, Simaur, Solan, Mandi, Bilaspur, and Kangra districts. The catchments of Rangit Sagar, Beas, and Pong dams stand at high risk of flooding if the rainfall continues in a similar manner.
Himachal Pradesh is the worst Monsoon affected state:
The officials have announced that Himachal Pradesh has faced a loss of 7020.28 Crores due to landslides and as an impact of fierce downpours.
The monsoon season that began on June 24th has claimed 257 lives in the state. The official report claims that 66 people lost their lives due to landslides and flashflood. 191 were killed in road accidents resulting from monsoon-related problems and 32 people went missing.
The monsoon has wreaked havoc on property in Himachal Pradesh as well. 1376 houses were destroyed completely while 7935 houses have been damaged only partially.
