India News | HP-2ND LD-WEATHER Heavy Snowfall, Rains Trigger Landslides in Himachal Pradesh, Key Roads Blocked
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Heavy snowfall and rain in Himachal Pradesh triggered landslides and blocked 583 roads and five national highways on Friday, disrupting normal life in many areas.
Shimla, Feb 28 (PTI) Heavy snowfall and rain in Himachal Pradesh triggered landslides and blocked 583 roads and five national highways on Friday, disrupting normal life in many areas.
Intermittent heavy snowfall and rain for the third consecutive day have blocked highways, with the maximum number of roads closed being 165 in Lahaul and Spiti, 125 in Chamba, and 112 in Kullu district.
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Additionally, 2,263 transformers and 279 water supply schemes have been disrupted in the state, according to the state emergency operation centre.
Officials said that all educational institutions, including colleges, have been closed in Chamba and Manali. However, the CBSE Board examinations will be held as scheduled.
There is a threat of avalanches over tribal areas and other higher reaches above 2,300 metres in altitude, and people have been advised to restrict outdoor movement and take necessary precautions.
National Highway 5 (Hindustan-Tibet road), which had been blocked at Narkanda in Shimla district, has been opened. However, the roads connecting Deha-Chopal, the Dodra-Kwar area, and the Theog-Hatkoti Highway at Kharapathar village -- located at an elevation of 8,770 ft -- remain closed.
In Kullu, heavy rain inundated the Akhara Bazaar and Gandhi Nagar areas. Gushing waters have spilled onto the roads, damaging vehicles parked on the roadside..
The administration has restricted vehicular movement beyond Nehru Kund due to fresh snowfall at Solang Nallah, Gulaba, Atal Tunnel, and Rohtang.
Water from the swollen Gandhi Nagar Nallah has spilled onto the roads, damaging a large number of vehicles parked on the roadside..
As many as 90 roads, including the Kullu-Manali left bank road, Jalori pass road, and all roads beyond Nehru Kund, have been closed. People have been advised to stay away from riverbanks and nallahs and avoid outdoor activities, said Kullu DC Torul Ravish.
All educational institutions in Kullu district, including colleges and Anganwadi centres, have been closed. Power supply in the district was also affected, but it has been restored, except in the Manikaran and Manali areas.
According to police, Shastri Nagar and Gandhi Nagar nallahs are overflowing, and Subzi Mandi at Bhuntar was flooded. While some vehicles were stuck at the spots, the situation was otherwise normal.
Reports of cloudbursts leading to flash floods that swept over a dozen vehicles have been reported from Chota Bangal in Kangra and Pahnala in Kullu district.
Following the heavy downpour in Kullu district, the power project dams are filled, and instructions have been given to open one gate, said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi said that snow and rain at this time of the year were welcome, as they benefit new plantations. However, they have also aggravated the threat of avalanches. He added that people should restrict outdoor activities, remain alert, and urged tourists to stay in safe places until the situation returns to normal.
Local administrations have been given the authority to order the closure of institutions and take other necessary steps, the minister said.
A landslide at Banala has disrupted traffic on the Manali-Kiratpur National Highway.
Restoration work has yet to commence as shooting stones are hindering the process, police said.
Several roads within the tribal valleys are also closed due to snowfall and widespread rains. Three people had a narrow escape from a glacier in Kakrola village of Pangi subdivision in Chamba district.
According to a weather update, Kothi received the highest snowfall of 120 cm until 8:30 am, followed by Khadrala (115 cm), Keylong (75 cm), Kalpa (46 cm), Kukumseri (38.8 cm), Sangla (23.5 cm), and Nichar and Moorang (15 cm each), while Kufri, in the suburbs of Shimla city, received traces of snow.
The lower and mid-hills have also experienced heavy rain, with Bhuntar being the wettest in the state, recording 173.2 mm of rain, followed by Shimla (117.5 mm), Seobagh (116.6 mm), Banjar (112.4 mm), Jogindernagar (112 mm), Salooni (109.3 mm), Palampur (99.2 mm), Chamba (97 mm), and Mandi (88.4 mm).
The sky remained heavily overcast, and the meteorological station has issued an orange warning for heavy snowfall at isolated places in Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur districts, and higher reaches of Chamba, Kullu, Shimla, Mandi, Sirmaur, and Kangra districts. Light to moderate rain has been predicted, with spells of heavy rain at isolated places in Chamba, Kullu, Shimla, Mandi, Sirmaur, and Kangra districts.
Fresh snowfall has brought cheer to the tourism industry, while farmers are happy that the rains have reduced the rainfall deficit of the winter season to 30 per cent.
Kalpa in tribal Kinnaur district was the coldest at night, recording a minimum of minus 2 degrees Celsius, while Nahan in Sirmaur was the hottest during the day with a high of 17.9 degrees Celsius.
The state has received 130.4 mm of rain from January 1 to February 28, against a normal rainfall of 187.1 mm. While Kullu district has received 26 per cent excess rain, the deficit has been reduced to 13 per cent in Mandi, 16 per cent in Shimla, and 26 per cent in Kangra districts, according to officials.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)