313 roads shut in Himachal Pradesh; yellow alert issued for heavy rain

Shimla, Aug 23 (PTI) Several roads, including a national highway, were closed in Himachal Pradesh as rains lashed several parts of the state, officials said on Saturday.

Of the 313 roads closed, 160 roads were in Mandi district and 102 in the adjoining Kullu.

National Highway 305 (Aut-Sainj road) was also closed, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said.

The local meteorological office has issued a yellow warning for heavy rain in isolated areas of the state from Sunday to Tuesday.

While light to moderate rains were witnessed in several parts of the state, Nadaun received 58.6 mm of rain in the 24 hours from Friday evening, followed by Neri 47.5 mm, Jogindernagar 45 mm, and Jatton Barrage 44.2 mm.

Nagrota Suriyan received 39.2 mm precipitation, Mandi 37 mm, Kangra 36.3 mm, Dhaulakuan 35.5 mm, Naina Devi 34.8 mm, Paonta Sahib 33 mm, Ghaghas 26 mm and Bhattiyat 22.2 mm.

Thunderstorms were witnessed in Kangra, Jor, Murari Devi and Palampur, while winds with speeds at 37-54 kilometres per hour struck Kukumseri, Seobagh and Bajaura, the Met office said.

Since the onset of monsoon on June 20 in Himachal Pradesh, at least 152 people have died and 37 have gone missing, the SEOC said.

The state has witnessed 75 flash floods, 40 cloudbursts and 74 major landslides so far, and a total of 97 power supply transformers and 51 water supply schemes have been disrupted.

The state has incurred losses to the tune of Rs 2,347 crore in rain-related incidents, the SEOC said. PTI BPL RUK RUK