Heavy rain cripples himachal’s mandi over 300 roads including 2 highways blocked schools closed

Heavy rain cripples himachal’s mandi over 300 roads including 2 highways blocked schools closed

Torrential rains lashed Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district on Tuesday morning, triggering over a dozen fresh landslides and aggravating the already fragile situation in several disaster-affected areas, including Seraj. Normal life came to a grinding halt as at least 331 roads were reported blocked across the district, including two major National Highways — NH-21 (Mandi-Kullu) near 9 Mile close to the ropeway, and NH-003 (Mandi-Dharampur), obstructed at Kenchi Mod.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Shimla has already issued an orange alert predicting heavy rainfall in Mandi on Tuesday.

Deputy Commissioner Apoorv Devgan told The Indian Express that restoration work had barely kept pace with the damage. “Of the 331 roads blocked today, 148 had just been reopened yesterday by the Public Works Department (PWD) and other departments. The relentless rainfall has undone much of the progress,” he said.

Meanwhile, the number of disrupted electricity lines jumped dramatically to 657 on Tuesday from 22 the previous day. Similarly, 86 water supply schemes also remained non-functional across the district, Devgan said.

Seraj division was worst-hit, with 122 roads blocked, followed by 56 in Thalout, 55 in Karsog, 35 in Dharampur, and smaller numbers in other divisions, including Mandi II (12), Padhar (10), Gohar (10), Nerchowk (14), Sarkaghat (12), Sundernagar (1), and Jogindernagar (2), Devgan said.

Owing to the incessant rainfall and worsening conditions, all government and private schools in Sundernagar subdivision were ordered shut for the day as a precautionary measure.

Spillway gates opened

Hydropower authorities have also issued critical warnings and opened the spillway gates of Koldam Hydropower Station at 8.45 am to discharge excess water. As the water level in the Koldam river is expected to rise by 4-5 metres, residents and tourists have been warned to stay away from the river banks.

Due to the rising water levels in the Beas River, the Pandoh Dam has also started releasing water from its spillway gates. Authorities are using hooters and public address systems to alert the public and prevent any untoward incidents, said an officer. Disaster management teams remain on high alert as the situation continues to evolve.

So far, the total loss caused by flash-floods and torrential rain in the state has touched Rs 1,753.63 crore, while 106 people have lost their lives in landslides, cloudbursts, and flash-floods in the last one-and-a-half months, according to the Revenue Department records.