Monsoon travel guidelines: Stay safe while visiting Himachal and Uttarakhand amid heavy rains

As rains continue to batter North India over the last few days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued red and orange alerts for several districts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand for the next 24 hours. IMD’s colour-coded alerts help people monitor weather severity. While an orange alert indicates rainfall between 115.6 and 204.4 mm in a single day, a red alert is issued when rainfall totals exceed 204.5 mm in a 24-hour period.

Check out the monsoon advisories for Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand below:

IMD alert for Himachal Pradesh

Senior IMD Scientist Sandeep Kumar Sharma announced that a red alert has been issued in Solan, Shimla, Sirmaur, Kullu, Mandi, Kinnaur, in response to heavy rainfall. An orange alert has been declared in Una, Hamirpur, Kangra, and Chamba. Furthermore, a flash flood warning has been issued for Mandi, Kinnaur, and Lahaul-Spiti for 24 hours.

As per an Economic Times report, Jairam Thakur, former chief minister of the hill-state, expressed concern over the loss of lives and damage to public infrastructure due to the unprecedented rains that have lashed out in the past few days damaging over 12 major bridges in the state.

With several tourists stranded there, the rains have disrupted normal life by triggering landslides, power disruptions, blocked roads, and damaged bridges. Nature’s fury has killed at least 20 people over the past 48 hours. The infrastructure costs are estimated between Rs 3,000 and 4,000 crore.

IMD alert for Uttarakhand

Keeping in mind the incessant rains lashing several parts of North India, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami appealed to people and pilgrims from different parts of the country to avoid unnecessary travels to the state. With the Kanwar Yatra currently in full swing, the CM urged devotees to follow safety measures during the journey.

Lord Shiva devotees observe the auspicious pilgrimage annually. This year’s yatra started on 4 July and will continue until 15 July.

The CM took to Twitter to issue a warning. The post was captioned: “In view of the heavy rains in the state for a few days, I request everyone to maintain full vigilance and avoid unnecessary traffic during such times. Keeping citizens’ safety on priority, the administration has also been instructed to remain on red alert mode to deal with any kind of situation.”

Check out the post:

कुछ दिनों से प्रदेश में हो रही अत्यधिक बारिश के मद्देनज़र मेरा सभी से निवेदन है कि ऐसे समय में आप पूर्ण सतर्कता बनाए रखें व अनावश्यक यातायात से बचें। नागरिकों की सुरक्षा को प्राथमिकता पर रखते हुए किसी भी प्रकार की परिस्थिति से निपटने हेतु प्रशासन को भी रेड अलर्ट मोड पर रहने के… pic.twitter.com/VNW6bYOjlB

— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) July 9, 2023

Meanwhile, Dehradun’s Central Flood Control Room informed about the dangerous water levels of rivers in the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions including Haridwar. As per Uttarakhand’s Chamoli Police, the Pokhri-Karnprayag road has been completely closed due to rain debris.

Check out the Twitter post:

उड़ामांडा के मध्य बारिश से मलवा आने के कारण पोखरी-कर्णप्रयाग सड़क मार्ग पूर्ण रूप से बंद हो गया है संबंधित कार्यदायी संस्था आरजीबी द्वारा जेसीबी मशीन की सहायता से मलवा हटाने का कार्य प्रगति पर है रास्ता खुलने में 24 घंटे से ज्यादा का समय लग सकता है।

कृपया धैर्य बनाए रखें। pic.twitter.com/AHEdQFEdD1

— Chamoli Police Uttarakhand (@chamolipolice) July 12, 2023

IMD announced an orange alert on Twitter for Uttarakhand as ‘heavy to very heavy rainfall’ is expected today, 12 July. Earlier, the Kedarnath Yatra had been stopped at Uttarakhand’s Sonprayag and Gaurikund due to continuous intense rains.