Himachal: Yellow warning issued for heavy rain this week

Shimla, Sep 11 (PTI) Around 580 roads, including three national highways, were closed for vehicular traffic in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday morning due to damage caused by the recent rains, officials said.

Additionally, the meteorological department has issued a yellow warning for heavy rain in isolated parts across five to six districts of the state on Saturday and Sunday.

Out of 577 roads, the maximum number of 206 roads are blocked in Kullu, while 141 were closed in Mandi district. The Attari-Leh road (NH 3), Aut-Sainj road (NH 305) and Amritsar-Bhota road (NH 503A) remained shut due to inclement weather.

A total of 598 power transformers and 367 water supply schemes have been disrupted in the state due to the recent floods and landslides, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).

A total of 380 people have died in rain-related incidents and road accidents since the onset of the monsoon in the state on June 20. The state has suffered a loss of Rs 4,313 crore so far.

Of the 380 deaths, 48 died due to landslides, 17 due to cloudbursts, 11 from flash floods, and 165 in road accidents. Additionally, 40 people are still reported missing, the SEOC informed.

Meanwhile, the state witnessed light to moderate rains in some locations. The hill resorts of Shimla and Dharamshala have been witnessing intermittent rain since Wednesday night.

From June 1 to September 11, Himachal has received an average rainfall of 961.3 mm during the ongoing monsoon, which is 43 per cent more than the normal rainfall of 674.2 mm. PTI BPL SHS MPL MPL