Yellow alert for heavy rains in Himachal; 317 roads, including one NH, closed

Shimla, Aug 22 (PTI) The local meteorological office on Friday issued a yellow warning for heavy rains in one to seven districts of Himachal Pradesh for the next four days.

Monsoon activity remained weak over the state in the 24 hours till Friday evening, with Dhaulakuan recording 31 mm rainfall, Manali 18 mm, Kufri 14.6 mm, Dharamshala 12 mm, Bajura 11 mm, Nahan 7.2 mm and Olinda 6.4 mm.

Gusty winds with speeds ranging between 37 and 56 kilometres per hour lashed Reckong Peo and Kukumseri, the Met office said.

A total of 317 roads, including National Highway 305 (Aut to Sainj road) were closed in Himachal Pradesh due to rains in the recent days, officials said on Thursday.

Of these, 157 roads were closed in Mandi district and 106 in the adjoining Kullu, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said, adding that as many as 110 power supply transformers and 131 water supply schemes have been disrupted.

Since the onset of monsoon in Himachal Pradesh on June 20, the state has incurred losses to the tune of Rs 2,326 crore due to rain-related incidents, officials said.

The state has witnessed 74 flash floods, 39 cloudbursts and 74 major landslides so far, they said, adding that around 149 people have died and 38 are missing. PTI BPL RUK RUK