Himachal Pradesh: 74 roads close due to heavy rain – Check full list of affected routes

Shimla: In a main weather impact, a complete of Seventy four roads were closed in Himachal Pradesh following heavy rainfall and 5 power supply schemes were disrupted, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said on Monday. Additionally, the local meteorological centre has issued a ‘yellow’ alert for thunderstorms and lightning in isolated areas of six districts of the state on Wednesday.

A giant landslide in the afternoon closed National Motorway 5 (Hindustan-Tibet road) connecting Chandigarh and Shimla near Kumarhatti in Solan district for a while.

In step with the officials, there have been no casualties, as no vehicles were passing all through the affected area the whole way all through the landslide. A video of the retaining walls coming down at Kumarhatti also went viral on social media.

Mild snowfall became reported in the upper reaches of Kullu and Lahaul and Spiti districts, signalling the onset of iciness. Khushal, a native resident of Mari in Kullu, said temperatures have dropped after the snowfall.

Intermittent rain continued across the state

Intermittent rain continued across the state, with Bilaspur receiving the correct rainfall of 100.eight mm since Sunday evening, the weather data showed. Other areas that recorded significant rainfall included Kufri (35 mm), Kasauli (28 mm ), Neri (26.5 mm), Karsog and Gohar (24 mm each), Baijnath (23.2 mm), Sundernagar (Thirteen.eight mm) and Chamba (11.5 mm).

As of Monday evening, 27 roads were closed in Shimla, seven each in Mandi, Kangra and Kullu, three in Lahaul-Spiti, and one each in Kinnaur and Sirmaur districts, according to SEOC.

5 power supply schemes were also disrupted in the state, it added. The rain deficit the whole way all through the ongoing monsoon season from June 1 till September 15 stands at 18 per cent, with the state receiving 567.2 mm rainfall against a customary of 692.1 mm.

In step with officials, 172 people have died in rain-related incidents since the onset of monsoon in the state on June 27 till Monday evening, while 30 are still missing. The state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 1,327 crore, they said. Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti became the coldest place in the state with a low of 6.eight degrees Celsius, while Una became the freshest with a maximum temperature of 35.2 degrees, the Met said.

(With inputs from agencies)