Shimla: Heavy rains continue to wreak havoc in Himachal Pradesh, leading to the closure of 328 roads, including two national highways, as of Wednesday morning. The State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) reported that Mandi district was the worst affected, with 180 roads closed, followed by Kullu with 74.
Among the key routes shut down were the Aut-Sainj road on NH-305 and the Khab to Gramphoo road. The widespread road closures caused significant disruption for commuters, with school children and office workers forced to walk to their destinations. In a particular incident near Tolland, a fallen tree blocked the Circular Road, delaying bus services for hours until it could be removed.
The local MeT office has issued an orange alert for Thursday, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated areas of Chamba, Kangra, and Mandi districts. A yellow alert for heavy rain is also in place for four to six districts from Friday to Sunday.
Monsoon activity has been intense this season. The state has recorded 536.7 mm of rainfall since June 1, a 13% increase over the normal average of 486.2 mm. Since the monsoon’s onset on June 20, the state has suffered losses amounting to ₹2,018 crore. So far, 125 people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents, and 36 are still missing. The state has also experienced 58 flash floods, 30 cloudbursts, and 54 major landslides.
In addition to the road closures, the SEOC stated that 37 power transformers and 181 water supply schemes have been affected by the weather.