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The southwest monsoon continued to wreak havoc across Himachal Pradesh on Friday, with the death toll rising to 14 and cumulative losses to public and private property crossing Rs 15.27 crore following heavy rainfall, according to the latest situation report issued by the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC).
The state continues to battle widespread disruption to road connectivity, electricity and water supply as restoration teams remain engaged in clearing debris and restoring essential services in several districts. According to the official report, 12 people have died in weather-related incidents since June 30, while two additional fatalities occurred in separate road accidents attributed to adverse weather conditions. Electrocution emerged as the leading cause of weather-related deaths, claiming five lives, followed by three deaths in avalanches, three deaths due to falls from trees or steep rocks, and one drowning incident. Among the districts, Kangra reported the highest number of fatalities with four deaths, followed by Shimla (3) and Mandi (2). Chamba, Kullu, and Lahaul & Spiti recorded one death each. The two road accident fatalities were reported from Kinnaur and Mandi districts. The financial impact of the ongoing monsoon has climbed to Rs 15.27 crore, with damage to public infrastructure accounting for the largest share at Rs 1,444.77 lakh. Among the worst-affected districts, Mandi reported infrastructure losses of Rs 28.80 lakh, followed by Kangra (20.10 lakh) and Shimla (12.30 lakh). Besides public infrastructure, extensive damage has also been reported to private property, agricultural land and animal shelters across several districts. Despite continuous restoration efforts, 49 roads remained blocked across the state as of 6:00 PM on Friday, an improvement from 61 road closures reported earlier in the day. Kullu district remains the worst affected with 30 blocked roads, including 13 in Nirmand subdivision and 10 in Banjar. Chamba reported 10 road closures, followed by three in Sirmaur, three in Kangra and two in Mandi. In Lahaul and Spiti, two roads remain blocked, although authorities have restored connectivity through an alternate route at Jahalma Nullah. In Una district, traffic on the Ajouli-Sanoli road near the Punjab border has been suspended and diverted through the Sanoli-Melwan road, while the Bhaderkali-Jailo Di Badh link road remains closed due to rain-induced roadside erosion. Further, heavy rainfall also continues to affect utility services across the state. As per the latest report, three Distribution Transformer Regions (DTRs) remained disrupted on Friday evening--two in Chamba district and one in the Udaipur subdivision of Lahaul and Spiti. In the drinking water sector, 23 water supply schemes continue to remain disrupted, with 20 schemes affected in the Tissa subdivision of Chamba district, making it the worst-hit area in terms of water supply infrastructure. The Department of Revenue and the State Disaster Management authorities are closely monitoring the evolving situation through the 24x7 State Emergency Operations Centre (1070). Officials said road clearance, restoration of power supply, repair of water schemes and relief operations are continuing on a war footing, while district administrations have been directed to remain on high alert as forecasts indicate the possibility of further rainfall in the coming days. (ANI)
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