Shimla, Aug 22 (PTI) Heavy rains and natural disasters have caused widespread damage in Himachal Pradesh in the financial year 2026, and 111 people have died as a result, according to Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi.
In a written reply to a question from BJP MLA Vipin Singh Parmar on Saturday, the minister said that the state recorded an average rainfall of 109.80 millimetres over the past five months.
Noting that three cloudburst incidents were also reported during this period, he added that these natural disasters have resulted in significant damage to lives, property, houses, roads, bridges, drinking water schemes, power infrastructure, and other basic amenities.
The minister further informed that relief funds have been distributed to 1,871 affected families in the state so far, while 1,260 families have not yet received compensation.
He said that in most of the pending cases, affected families had not applied for relief through the RMS portal. In some instances, applications were incomplete. He assured that eligible families would receive relief funds as soon as the necessary formalities were completed.
The minister mentioned that three cloudburst incidents were recorded: one in the Seva Dug area of Bhuntar Tehsil in Kullu district, and two others in Shugu Khangsar and Dondal Nala Karpat in Lahaul-Spiti district. No deaths or injuries were reported in connection with these incidents.
According to the revenue minister, the highest number of deaths due to natural disasters this year occurred in Sirmaur district, where 87 people lost their lives. Sixteen fatalities were reported in Lahaul-Spiti, four in Solan, two in Mandi, and one each in Kangra and Kullu, bringing the total death toll in the state to 111.
He further highlighted that heavy rains had damaged 12 bridges statewide, with Lahaul-Spiti suffering the most, accounting for four affected bridges. Three bridges sustained damage in both Kinnaur and Solan, while one bridge in each of Chamba and Shimla was also affected.
Regarding housing damage, Solan district was the worst affected, with 239 houses damaged. Other districts also reported damage: 155 houses in Kangra, 136 in Mandi, 89 in Chamba, 50 in Shimla, 33 in Sirmaur, 21 in Kullu, 14 in Hamirpur, 12 in Una, nine in Bilaspur, and eight in Kinnaur.
The rains also impacted the road network across all districts of the state. Kangra reported the highest number of damaged roads at 736, followed by 615 in Mandi, 614 in Shimla, 394 in Chamba, 288 in Bilaspur, 266 in Solan, 254 in Hamirpur, 196 in Sirmaur, 113 in Kullu, 100 in Una, 74 in Lahaul-Spiti, and 58 in Kinnaur.
Additionally, the minister stated that Rs 802.56 crore has been received from the central government for disaster relief during the current financial year as of August 1.
This amount was allocated under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF), and State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF).
In the previous financial year, the state had received Rs 3,007 crore under these heads. PTI BPL MPL MPL
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