
Himachal Pradesh has suffered a monetary loss of Rs 785.51 crore due to extremely heavy rainfall in the state over the last few days, the state government informed on Monday. The highest loss has been reported from Kinnaur (Rs 256.5 cr), followed by Shimla (Rs 190.65) and Bilaspur (Rs 86.21 cr), a cumulative report from June 26 to July 9 said. So far, 72 deaths have been reported since June 26.
Due to incessant rainfall, the Himalayan state has witnessed 39 landslides, one cloud burst, and 29 flash flood incidents. Eight persons are currently missing while 94 have been injured.
Torrential rainfall has wreaked havoc in Himachal, triggering floods, washing away roads, and damaging houses along the rivers. Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday said that the state has not witnessed such "widespread heavy rains" in the past 50 years and the state has suffered a loss of about Rs 3,000 crore in this monsoon season so far.
About 17 persons have died in rain-related incidents in the state in the past two days, he said, adding that efforts are afoot to rescue 400 tourists and locals stranded at Chandertal and between Pagal and Teilgi nallah in Lahaul and Spiti.
Sukhu said that bridges were broken in Baddi, Kullu, and Una, and the Largi power project in Kullu was submerged in water. He also said that since last night, 29 people trapped in Manali's potato ground and six persons in Nagwayin village in Mandi have been rescued by the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and police teams.
The chief minister also directed the Lahaul and Spiti district administration to gear up to provide adequate food, medicines, and other essential items to the stranded tourists near Chandertal Lake and to ensure that the rescue operations could be conducted on time. He also appealed to the people to avoid travelling unnecessarily and avoid venturing out near the streams and rivers.
Kangra District Collector Nipun Jindal said that incessant rains over the past four days have damaged public facilities worth around Rs 75 crore in the district. Jindal said owing to torrential rains from July 6 to July 9, the district suffered losses of Rs 75 crore, of which the Public Works Department (PWD) incurred a loss of about Rs 31 crore.
A total of 66 roads maintained by the PWD were damaged or blocked due to landslides or tree felling, out of which 63 roads have been restored. In addition, 14 more roads in the district got blocked on Monday, Jindal added. He said if the weather remains favourable, all these blocked roads would be restored in the next 24 to 48 hours.
The Jal Shakti department incurred losses of around Rs 40 crore as the heavy monsoon rains damaged pipelines, affecting water supply in 231 localities. The torrential rains damaged 212 transformers in Kangra, of which 169 have been repaired and the remaining will also be fixed within the next 24 hours.
(With inputs from PTI)