Shimla: Thirty-five roads, including two highways, were blocked, and many areas faced power outages as moderate to heavy rainfall lashed parts of Himachal Pradesh on the second day of monsoon arrival on Wednesday.Manali to Leh highway was blocked at Jispa in Lahaul-Spiti following a flash flood Tuesday night. Hundreds of tourists were trapped on both sides of the highway as the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) started the road clearance work after the water flow subsided. The highway was reopened for traffic on Wednesday.The Shimla-Mataur highway (NH-205) was also closed to all vehicular traffic on Wednesday following a landslide, triggered by heavy rain, near Bhararighat, that disrupted traffic movement on the key route. Landslides were also reported at a few spots on the Chandigarh-Shimla highway, but the traffic movement was not affected.Following the closure, the Bilaspur police issued traffic advisories and announced alternate routes to ensure the smooth movement of vehicles.The Chamba-Tissa road was also blocked on Wednesday after heavy rain triggered a landslide near Pangola Nala, severing road connectivity for more than 25 panchayats in Chamba district.Heavy rainfall also caused damage in some residential areas of the Salooni sub-division of the district as rainwater and mud entered houses.According to the state emergency operation centre (SEOC), 35 roads were blocked due to heavy rain across the state. Eighteen roads were blocked in Kullu district and 11 in Mandi.A total of 127 distribution transformer regions (DTRs) also remained non-functional, affecting power supply in many areas of the state. According to the SEOC, 86 DTRs remained non-functional in Kullu district — the highest number— followed by 12 each in Chamba and Solan districts.The Meteorological Centre, Shimla, stated on Wednesday that the southwest monsoon had advanced into the remaining parts of the state, completing its coverage of Himachal on July 1, against the normal date of June 25.The monsoon covered the remaining parts of Shimla, Sirmaur, Mandi, Kullu, Lahaul and Spiti, and Kangra districts, as well as the entire areas of Solan, Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Chamba districts.The weather office has forecast fairly widespread to widespread rainfall across the low hills, plains and adjoining mid-hills till July 5, with the heaviest rainfall expected on July 2 and 3.According to the latest monthly outlook issued by the Meteorological Centre, most parts of Himachal Pradesh are likely to receive below-normal rainfall during July, even as minimum and maximum temperatures are expected to remain above normal across much of the state.Rainfall is expected to remain below normal in most districts. However, parts of Chamba and Kullu districts are likely to receive near-normal rainfall, while some areas of the Lahaul and Spiti district may record normal to above-normal precipitation during the month.The Met has also forecast warmer-than-usual conditions for July. Mean minimum temperatures are expected to remain above normal over many parts of the state, although some low hill, plain and adjoining mid-hill areas could witness normal to below-normal night temperatures.Similarly, mean maximum temperatures are likely to stay above normal across much of Himachal Pradesh. However, parts of Chamba, Lahaul district and the higher reaches of Kullu are expected to experience below-normal daytime temperatures. Boulder kills woman (BOX)A 38-year-old woman was killed after being hit by a boulder on the Chandigarh-Manali national highway near Aut in Mandi district on Wednesday. According to the police, Sukhbir Kaur, a resident of Nalagarh in Solan district, was travelling with her husband, Jaswinder Singh, and their child from Nalagarh to Manikaran when she felt unwell. As she stepped out of the car, a boulder came crashing down from the hillside and struck her. The family rushed Sukhbir to the nearby hospital in Nagwain, but she could not be saved.Road connectivity restored (Box)The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) on Wednesday temporarily restored the movement of 4×4 vehicles over the Jahalma Nallah, a day after road connectivity between Lahaul and the neighbouring Pangi in Chamba district was cut off by a flash flood. A temporary road, built by the BRO, was swept away by a sudden surge in the nallah. The disruption has left several remote villages isolated and created fresh uncertainty for local farmers at the peak of the harvesting season. With transport services suspended, the movement of vegetables and other cash crops to markets has been severely affected, raising fears of substantial losses due to supply delays.128 lives lost (BOX)A total of 128 people lost their lives in weather-related incidents across Himachal Pradesh during the pre-monsoon season from March 1 to June 30. According to the latest cumulative loss report released by the state emergency operations centre (SEOC), the estimated loss to public and private property during this period is nearly Rs 29.84 crore.MSID:: 132115464 413 |
