Shimla, August 11
Himachal Pradesh continued to face the impact of heavy monsoon rain on Tuesday, with landslides, falling boulders and uprooted trees disrupting roads and essential services at several places. The death toll due to disasters during the monsoon has risen to 70, according to the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC).
The cumulative damage report for the period from June 30 to August 11 puts the total monetary loss about Rs 910.35 crore. The report records damage to houses, private property, crops and public infrastructure across the state.
The latest SEOC public utility report, compiled at 5 pm on Tuesday, showed 204 roads blocked, 45 distribution transformers disrupted and 82 water-supply schemes affected across the state.
Mandi was the worst affected district in terms of road connectivity, with 80 roads blocked, followed by Kullu with 56, Sirmaur 23, Chamba 16 and Shimla 14. Kangra reported five blocked roads, Una four, while Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti and Solan reported two each.
Two national highways were also blocked in Mandi. NH-154 was blocked at Talghar-Urla, while NH-21 on the Mandi-Kullu road was blocked at Jalogi-Dwada. The district also reported one disrupted transformer and eight affected water-supply schemes.
In Shimla district, 14 roads were blocked, two transformers were disrupted and 25 water-supply schemes were affected. Sirmaur reported 23 blocked roads, 41 disrupted transformers and 31 affected water-supply schemes.
The disaster death data shows 14 deaths in landslides, one in a flash flood, four due to drowning, one in fire, seven due to snakebites, six due to electrocution and 23 from falls from trees or steep rocks, besides 14 deaths under other causes. Lahaul-Spiti recorded the highest disaster deaths at 14, followed by Kangra with 12, Chamba and Shimla with nine each and Kullu with eight.
The report separately records 93 deaths in road accidents during the monsoon season.
Meanwhile, the Mandi district administration has warned of the risk of landslides and falling rocks on NH-21 and NH-154 and advised citizens and tourists to avoid unnecessary travel. Traffic on both national highways will remain completely closed tonight as a safety measure.
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