42 Roads Closed as Himachal Pradesh Braces for Heavy Rainfall; 169 Dead, Rs 1,327 Crore in Losses

A total of 42 roads were closed for vehicular movement in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday as rain continued to lash parts of the state, officials said.

Moderate rain continued in some parts of the hill state since Friday evening, with Katula logging the highest rainfall of 78.5 mm, the meteorological department said.

Affective Districts Due to Heavy Downpour

Palampur recorded 68 mm rains, followed by Baijnath (60 mm), Mandi (58.4 mm), Guler (56.4 mm), Dharamshala (53 mm), Kufri (51.4 mm), Shimla and Jogindernagar (50 mm each), Naina Devi (48.6 mm), Kangra (46.6 mm), Nagrota Suriyanas (46 mm), Manali (28 mm), Jubberhatti (23.2 mm), Bhuntar (23 mm), Solan (22 mm), Sarahan (21 mm) and Poanta Sahib (20.4 mm), it said.

Shimla has the highest number of closed roads which is 18, and after that Kangra has 10. 9 in Mandi, three in Kullu and one each in Bilaspur and Sirmaur due to the continuous rains, landslides and flash floods, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC). 

The number of power and water supply schemes affected by the rains in the state stands at 53, the SEOC said.

Since the onset of monsoon on June 27, the rainfall deficit in Himachal Pradesh stands at 18 per cent, with the state receiving 561.8 mm rainfall against an average of 686.5 mm.

According to the officials, 169 people have died in rain-related incidents during the ongoing monsoon season, while 30 are missing.

The state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 1,327 crore, the officials said.

Kukumseri in Lahaul and Spiti was the coldest place in the hill state with a low of 7.9 degrees Celsius, while Una was the hottest with a maximum temperature of 34.4 degrees Celsius.