Himachal under 'orange' alert for heavy rain on August 10-11

The Met office here issued an 'orange' warning on Thursday for heavy to very rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning, at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh during the weekend. It also warned of a low to moderate flash flood risk in isolated parts of Sirmaur, Chamba, Shimla, Kullu, and Mandi districts in the next 24 hours amid an active monsoon current in the state.

Since 5:30 pm on Wednesday, Shillaroo recorded the highest rainfall at 86.4 mm, followed by Baggi (76.6 mm), Sundernagar (64.2 mm), Mandi (60.2 mm), Gohar (57.4 mm), Jogindernagar (53 mm), Pandoh (50 mm), Palampur (48.8 mm), Dharamshala (38 mm), Kufri (24 mm), Kangra (22.6 mm), Dhaulakuan (22 mm), Narkanda (20 mm) and Manali (15 mm).

The rainfall deficit in the state during the ongoing monsoon that began on June 1 stood at 29 percent till August 8. The state received 307.9 mm of rainfall against an average of 435.5 mm during this period. The continued rainfall since the beginning of August, however, has led to the state recording excess during the month. In August so far, Himachal Pradesh has recorded 80.8 mm rainfall against a normal of 78.5 mm.

The rainfall since Wednesday led to the closure of 109 roads -- 37 in Mandi, 29 in Shimla, 26 in Kullu, six in Kangra, four in Kinnaur and Lahaul & Spiti each, two in Sirmaur and one in Hamirpur district. Additionally, 58 power and 15 water supply schemes were disrupted, the State Emergency Operation Centre said.

The Met Office has warned of the possibility of landslides and flash floods in some places, as well as damage to plantations, crops, vulnerable structures, and kutcha houses due to strong winds and waterlogging in low-lying areas. Ninety-four people have been killed in rain-related incidents and the state suffered losses of about Rs 787 crores between June 27 and August 7, officials said