Himachal Pradesh closes 14 roads amid heavy rains, yellow alert until July 26

A total of 14 roads are closed for vehicular traffic in Himachal Pradesh due to rains, and the local Met office has issued a yellow alert till July 26.

So far, 44 people have died in rain-related incidents, and the state has suffered losses of about Rs 333 crore in the ongoing monsoon season since June 27 till date, as per the state emergency operation centre.

A maximum of 11 roads are closed in Mandi district, two in Kinnaur and one in Kangra and 31 transformers have been disrupted, the centre said.

The National Highway-5 reopened for traffic early Monday after remaining blocked for four hours due to a landslide at Nigulsari in Kinnaur district, officials said.

The NH-5 or the Hindustan-Tibet Road connects Shimla and Kinnaur districts in Himachal Pradesh. The landslide occurred on Sunday night. No casualty was reported in the incident, officials added.

Nigulsari is prone to landslides, and a massive landslide occurred at the same spot in September last year.

Low to moderate flash flood risk is likely in isolated parts of Kangra, Mandi and Chamba districts in the next 24 hours, the MeT said. It also cautioned of damage to plantation and standing crops, vulnerable structures and kutcha houses due to strong winds and waterlogging in low-lying areas.

The local Met Office has issued a yellow alert of heavy rain, thunderstorms and lightning till July 26.

Meanwhile, intermittent rains lashed several parts of the state in the last 24 hours. Bharari with 87 mm of rain was the wettest followed by Bhoranj (85 mm), Dharamshala (76.2 mm), Dhaulakuan (62.5 mm), Kataula (56.3 mm), Sarkaghat 53.6 mm), Ghaghas (48 mm), Kufri (35.4 mm), Bilaspur (34.8 mm), Olinda (33 mm), Berthin (32.6 mm), Sundernagar (32 mm), Slapper 30.8 mm, Baggi (30.1 mm) and Shimla (27.4 mm).