Shimla, Sep 16 (PTI) A total of 53 roads were closed in Himachal Pradesh following heavy rainfall and five power supply schemes were disrupted, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said on Monday.
The local meteorological centre has issued a ‘yellow’ alert for thunderstorms and lightning in isolated areas of six districts of the state on Wednesday.
A massive landslide in the afternoon closed National Highway 5 (Hindustan-Tibet road) connecting Chandigarh and Shimla near Kumarhatti in Solan district for some time.
According to the officials, there were no casualties, as no vehicles were passing through the affected area during the landslide. A video of the retaining walls coming down at Kumarhatti also went viral on social media.
Mild snowfall was reported in the higher reaches of Kullu and Lahaul and Spiti districts, signalling the onset of winter. Khushal, a local resident of Mari in Kullu, said temperatures have dropped after the snowfall.
Intermittent rain continued across the state, with Bilaspur receiving the highest rainfall of 100.8 mm since Sunday evening, the weather data showed. Other areas that recorded significant rainfall included Kufri (35 mm), Kasauli (28 mm ), Neri (26.5 mm), Karsog and Gohar (24 mm each), Baijnath (23.2 mm), Sundernagar (13.8 mm) and Chamba (11.5 mm).
As of Monday evening, 27 roads were closed in Shimla, seven each in Mandi, Kangra and Kullu, three in Lahaul-Spiti, and one each in Kinnaur and Sirmaur districts, according to SEOC.
Five power supply schemes were also disrupted in the state, it added.
The rain deficit during the ongoing monsoon season from June 1 till September 15 stands at 18 per cent, with the state receiving 567.2 mm rainfall against an average of 692.1 mm.
According to officials, 172 people have died in rain-related incidents since the onset of monsoon in the state on June 27 till Monday evening, while 30 are still missing. The state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 1,327 crore, they said.
Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti was the coldest place in the state with a low of 6.8 degrees Celsius, while Una was the hottest with a maximum temperature of 35.2 degrees, the Met said. PTI BPL BHJ BHJ BHJ
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