31 killed in 51 events of cloudburst, flash flood in HP since onset of monsoon
Shimla (PTI): Thirty-one people were killed in 51 events of cloudburst and flash flood between June 27 and August 16 in Himachal Pradesh during the ongoing monsoon season, the State Emergency Operation Centre said.
The monsoon arrived in Himachal Pradesh on June 27.
Thirty-one people were killed and 33 went missing in 51 incidents of cloudburst and flash flood between June 27 and August 16 in Himachal Pradesh, the State Emergency Operation Centre said.
Lahaul and Spiti witnessed 22 such incidents, the highest in the state, followed by 11 in Kinnaur, six in Una, three each in Kullu and Mandi, two in Sirmaur and one each in Chamba, Hamirpur, Shimla and Solan districts, it said.
According to the data, 121 houses were completely or partially damaged.
Three people were killed in 35 landslides during the same period, the State Emergency Operation Centre said.
At nine, Mandi reported the highest number of landslides. Kinnaur and Shimla reported six landslides each, Lahaul and Spiti and Chamba four each, Solan three, Kullu two and Bilaspur one, it said.
The data for other districts was not available.
However, residents in several districts have claimed that the number of incidents of cloudburst, flash flood and landslide is much higher than the official count.
Meanwhile, light rains continued in parts of the state and 95 roads were closed on Sunday morning, the State Emergency Operation Centre said.
It said 33 roads were closed in Kullu, 23 each in Mandi and Shimla, 10 in Kangra, two each in Chamba and Kinnaur, and one each in Hamirpur and Una.
As many as 47 power and 35 water supply schemes have also been affected, it said.
According to officials, Himachal Pradesh has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 1,140 crore so far with the maximum damage done to the road infrastructure. The Public Works Department has suffered losses of Rs 502 crore, followed by the Jal Shakti Department (Rs 469 crore) and the Horticulture Department (Rs 139 crore).
The local meteorological office has issued a 'yellow' alert for heavy rains in isolated places in the state till August 21.
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Heavy rain, hailstorms likely to lash Uttarakhand on Tuesday; IMD issues warning
Dehradun/Pithoragarh (PTI): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for heavy rain and hailstorms across several districts of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, as temperatures remained markedly below normal in the region.
Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar districts. Most places across all districts are expected to receive light to moderate rain or thunderstorms, while higher reaches are likely to witness snowfall, officials said on Monday.
The weather department warned of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, hail and intense spells of rain in six districts, including Dehradun and Nainital. Gusty winds with speeds reaching 40-50 kmph are also expected at isolated locations in these areas and other hilly districts.
In the state capital, Dehradun, the sky is forecast to remain partly cloudy with light rain and thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of 30-40 kmph.
The maximum and minimum temperatures in the city are expected to hover around 31 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Maximum temperatures during the past 24 hours remained markedly below normal in the hills and appreciably below normal in the plains. While no significant change in temperature is expected over the next 2-3 days, the IMD predicts a rise of 3-5 degrees Celsius during the subsequent 3-4 days.
Rainfall was recorded in several areas after 8.30 am today, with Ramnagar receiving 31.5 mm and Nainital recording 26.5 mm. Other areas, including Pithoragarh, Khatima and Champawat, also reported moderate precipitation.
Authorities have stopped a batch of 36 Adi Kailash pilgrims at the Dharchula base camp and placed the high-altitude yatra route on high alert following heavy rains and hailstorms in the district on Monday.
Dharchula SDM Ashish Joshi said the pilgrimage was halted due to adverse weather conditions. The issuance of new inner-line passes has been suspended until the weather normalises.
With 1,700 passes issued so far, pilgrims already at higher camps are being monitored for safety, the official added.
