Shimla, Sep 1 (UNI) Relentless monsoon rains continue to wreak havoc in Himachal Pradesh, claiming more lives and causing widespread destruction. The state’s rain-related death toll since June 20 has risen to around 325.
In a fresh tragedy in Junga, Shimla district, a massive landslide buried the home of Virender Kumar (35) and his 10-year-old daughter, killing both along with their cattle. His wife survived, as she was outside at the time. In another incident at Kotkhai, an elderly woman, Kalavati (wife of Balam Singh), was killed when her house collapsed under landslide debris despite locals’ rescue efforts.
The disaster has forced the shifting of four families to safer places in Dayar Moli village of Rohru, where continuous sliding threatened houses overnight.
Authorities said two houses collapsed in Shimla district alone, leaving three people dead, including the father-daughter duo. In Ramnagar, Shimla, debris from a landslide fell on a car, though no casualties were reported.
The incessant downpour has disrupted daily life on a massive scale. The Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited said the city’s major water supply scheme has halted operations due to an unprecedented rise in silt levels. Turbidity in raw water sources surged to 8,000 NTU, leaving only two pumps functional.
Road connectivity has been hit severely, with 662 roads blocked, including four national highways such as the Chandigarh–Manali four-lane, where over 600 stretches have been closed for a week. In Shimla town, half a dozen parked vehicles were damaged as sliding hillocks and uprooted trees crashed onto roads.
The state government declared a holiday on Monday in all educational institutions across 10 districts—Shimla, Sirmaur, Solan, Kangra, Mandi, Chamba, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Una and Kullu subdivisions. Schools in Kullu will remain closed on Tuesday as well. Teachers in Shimla have been instructed to conduct online classes to avoid disruption of studies.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for heavy rains in four districts—Mandi, Chamba, Kullu and Kangra—for September 2, and an orange alert in Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Sirmaur and Shimla. Monsoon activity may weaken slightly from September 3, with a yellow alert in Shimla and Sirmaur and no alerts on September 4–5.
Meanwhile, all major rivers in Himachal are flowing above the danger mark, and several dams have breached their safety limits, aggravating the flood situation. The Central Water Commission has warned of flash floods, surface runoff, and inundation in saturated low-lying areas across Himachal, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi.
The continuous heavy downpour has left the hill state battered, with officials urging people to stay alert as the risk of landslides and flash floods remains high in the next 24 hours.
Monsoon Fury in Himachal: Three more die in landslides; schools shut across 10 districts
