74 roads closed in Himachal as rain continues, Met issues 'yellow' alert in 6 districts

A total of 74 roads, including National Highway 5 (Hindustan-Tibet road) connecting Chandigarh and Shimla, were closed in Himachal Pradesh following heavy rainfall, officials said on Monday.

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 massive landslide in the afternoon closed NH-5 near Kumarhatti in Solan district, the officials said, adding that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officers and police are on-site, working to clear the debris and reopen the road.

According to the officials, there were no casualties, as no vehicles were passing through the affected area during the landslide. Videos of retaining walls collapsing on the national highway have gone viral on social media.

Mild snowfall was reported in the higher reaches of Kullu and Lahaul and Spiti districts, signalling the onset of winter. Khushal, a local resident of Mari in Kullu, said temperatures have dropped after the snowfall. Intermittent rain continued across the state, with Bilaspur receiving the highest rainfall of 100.8 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 (13.8 mm) and Chamba (11.5 mm).

As of Monday morning, 39 roads were closed in Shimla, 10 in Kangra, nine in Mandi, seven in Kullu, five in Sirmaur, three in Lahaul-Spiti, and one in Kinnaur, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC). Five power supply schemes were also disrupted, the SEOC added.

Five power supply schemes have also been disrupted in the state, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).

The rain deficit during the ongoing monsoon season from June 1 till September 15 stands at 18 per cent, with the state receiving 567.2 mm rainfall against an average of 692.1 mm.

According to officials, 171 people have died in rain-related incidents since the onset of monsoon in the state on June 27 till Sunday, while 30 are still missing. The state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 1,327 crore, they said.