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Heavy monsoon rains continued to disrupt normal life across Himachal Pradesh on Friday, with 60 roads blocked, electricity infrastructure damaged in several districts and dozens of water supply schemes rendered non-functional, according to the latest State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) report.
The SEOC's utility status report issued at 10:00 AM said widespread rainfall and localised weather-related incidents over the past 24 hours have affected transport and essential services across the state. A major cloudburst in the Nichar subdivision of Kinnaur district triggered a flash flood and heavy debris flow, blocking the National Highway-05 (NH-05) near Choling Middle School. Restoration work is underway, while authorities have advised commuters to exercise caution and follow traffic advisories. In Lahaul and Spiti, the strategically important ATR route between North Portal and Sarchu has also been closed to vehicular traffic at Yurnath due to adverse weather conditions. The report said 60 roads remain blocked across the state, with Kullu district accounting for the highest number of closures at 30 roads, followed by Sirmaur with 14 roads and Chamba with seven. Temporary traffic diversions have also been implemented on the Ajouli-Sanoli road in Una district. Power infrastructure has also suffered significant damage. A total of 48 distribution transformer regions (DTRs) have been affected across the state, with Mandi district alone reporting disruption to 38 DTRs, leading to power outages in several areas. Drinking water supply has also been impacted, with 27 water supply schemes disrupted statewide. Chamba district has reported the maximum damage to water infrastructure, accounting for all 27 affected schemes. According to official estimates, the ongoing monsoon season has caused private property losses worth approximately 69.65 lakh so far. Mandi district has recorded the highest financial losses at 24.10 lakh, reflecting the widespread impact of continuous rainfall and related incidents. The state administration, district authorities and emergency response agencies have been placed on high alert. Restoration teams have been deployed to clear blocked roads, restore electricity supply and repair damaged water infrastructure in the affected districts. Authorities have advised residents and travellers to avoid unnecessary movement in vulnerable areas, particularly along landslide-prone highways, and to follow weather advisories issued by the administration. The State Emergency Operation Centre is monitoring the situation round the clock through its 24x7 emergency helpline (1070) as monsoon activity continues across Himachal Pradesh. (ANI)
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