Himachal Weather: Flood Alert Issued For Chamba, Mandi, Shimla, 4 Other Districts For Next 24 Hours

Himachal Weather: The local meteorological department on Tuesday warned of moderate floods in parts of seven districts inluding Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Kullu, Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur in the next 24 hours as heavy rains continue to wreak havoc in many parts of Himachal Pradesh.

The weather department has also issued a yellow alert, warning of heavy rains at isolated places in the state till next Monday. According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), a total of 225 roads, including 153 in the worst-hit Mandi district, are closed, while 163 transformers and 174 water supply schemes are affected in the state.

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Himachal Pradesh received 203.2 mm of rain from June 1 to July 8 against the normal rainfall of 152.6 mm. Mandi district recorded 110 per cent excess rain, Shimla 89 per cent and Una 86 per cent during this period. The monsoon arrived in Himachal Pradesh on June 20.

Himachal Pradesh has witnessed 23 floods, 19 cloudbursts and 16 landslides since the onset of monsoon on June 20 and so far 52 people have died in rain-related incidents in the state, officials said, adding that search and rescue operations have been intensified in Mandi district.

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80 Dead So Far

Drones and sniffer dogs were being used to trace 28 people who went missing last week in Thunag, Gohar and Karsog subdivisions. According to official figures, 80 deaths have been reported in Himachal Pradesh since June 20.

Of the 80 deaths, 52 were linked to rain-related incidents such as cloudburst, flash floods and landslides. The remaining 28 deaths were linked to road accidents, officials said. According to SEOC, the estimated loss due to rains so far is around Rs 692 crore.

(With PTI Inputs)