Himachal Pradesh Battles Monsoon Fury: Landslides, Building Collapses, Deaths Reported | Key Highlights

Himachal Pradesh Battles Monsoon Fury: Himachal Pradesh is reeling under the monsoon fury with heavy rains causing building collapses, landslides, and road blockages in large areas of the state. As per official reports, 23 people have lost their lives in rain-related accidents since June 20.

The State Emergency Operation Centre reported that 259 roads—including 129 in Mandi and 92 in Sirmaur—were closed due to cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides. Additionally, 614 transformers and 130 water supply schemes were disrupted.

A rain fury was also seen in the popular tourist hill town of Shimla, where a five-storey building collapsed in seconds on Monday morning. In Mandi, which has been one of the worst-hit areas, several people were reported missing on Tuesday after a cloudburst triggered a flash flood.

Himachal received 135 mm of rain in June against the normal of 101 mm, an excess of 34%. It is the 21st highest rainfall in the month of June in the state since 1901. The highest rainfall of 252.7 mm was recorded in the year 1971.

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Chairing a high-level meeting to review monsoon preparedness, Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi asked tourists and residents to follow weather advisories and not to venture near rivers and streams and directed sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) across the state to remain vigilant.

A five-storey building collapsed like cards in five seconds in Bhatta Kuffar in the suburbs of Shimla on Monday morning, while several cows from a shed washed away in the cloudburst in Rampur.

As per IMD’s 12 hour outlook for 9 pm June 30 to 9 am July 1, light to moderate rain was likely at many places accompanied with one or two spells of intense rain and moderate thunderstorm/lightning at isolated places in Chamba, Kullu, Shimla, Kangra, Una, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Mandi, Solan and Sirmaur districts. The IMD website showed Shimla, Sirmaur, Mandi, and Kangra districts under orange alert.

"We vacated the building on Sunday night as the land was sliding after Saturday's rain. The building collapsed around 8.15 am on Monday morning," PTI quoted Ranjana Verma, the building's owner. She added, “A four-lane road construction had endangered the structure but no measures were taken to ensure its safety.”

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Mandi district has been the worst hit with 139 roads blocked and 314 power transformers affected. Although no National Highways are closed, the Shimla-Chandigarh highway saw unprecedented jams due to landslips and spalling stones at five points, and traffic diversions were necessary. The Subathu-Waknaghat road was also closed due to landslide.

Two cowsheds, three cows, two calves, a kitchen, and a room were washed away by a cloudburst in Sikaseri village of Rampur, though no human life was lost. The incident occurs just a year after a cloudburst in the same panchayat killed 21 people last July.

In Bilaspur district, the Government Senior Secondary School at Kunhmunjhwad was flooded with water from floods, and more than 130 students were sent back home. A government school in the Junga area of Shimla also got damaged.IMD on Monday evening issued a warning of moderate flash-flood risk in parts of Kangra, Mandi, and Sirmaur districts in the next 24 hours. It has issued orange alert for heavy to very heavy rains in parts of Himachal Pradesh for Wednesday and predicted a wet spell in the state till July 6. Thunderstorms lashed Palampur, Baijnath, Sundernagar, Murari Devi, Kangra, Shimla, and their adjoining area of Jubbarhatti. Moderate to heavy rains lashed several parts of the state. Mandi was the wettest with 144.4 mm of rainfall since Sunday evening. This was followed by Pandoh 123 mm, Murari Devi 113.2 mm, Palampur 83 mm, Ghaghas 65.4 mm, Bharari 65.2 mm, Kasauli 64 mm, Nadaun 63 mm, Slapper 62.8 mm, Sundernagar 60.6 mm, Dharampur 56.6 mm and Sujanpur Tira 53 mm.

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