Shimla, July 23 (PTI) Several homes have been completely destroyed in the cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh’s Boh valley, with families — now rendered homeless — left to pick up the pieces of a life that was washed away.
All that remains is stone and debris, said a woman, standing where her home once was.
Three people were injured and at least 18 houses were damaged in flash floods and massive debris flows triggered by a cloudburst in Sapedi and Garun villages in Kangra district on Tuesday.
Nine cowsheds were also damaged and three buffaloes, four cows, one bull and one sheep were killed, officials said.
On Thursday, one of the affected persons Sushma said when she arrived at the place where her home once stood, it was gone without a trace. Several houses in the locality had been destroyed completely, with only stones and debris visible all around.
“Many homes have been wrecked, leaving several families without a place to live,” she said.
Another victim, Rano Devi, described how gushing water and debris rushed down the mountain slope with a deafening roar, washing away everything within moments.
She said her house, cattle, and every household belonging were swept away by the roaring floods. She pleaded to the government for immediate assistance and rehabilitation.
An elderly resident, Purna, said debris from the mountain engulfed the entire village. Many animals were buried under the debris, causing immense losses.
The locals remembered hearing a loud blast-like sound from the hills moments before a powerful torrent of water, mud and boulders rushed downhill, with the ravenous debris destroying homes, cowsheds and livelihoods.
The affected families are forced to take shelter in relief camps. They demanded immediate rehabilitation from the government.
Dharamshala MLA Sudhir Sharma visited the affected area on Thursday and directed relief operations be expedited. He emphasised the immediate need for clothing, utensils, and housing arrangements.
Additionally, a demand was made to the government to promptly provide land and housing assistance to the affected families, deploy machinery for debris removal, and ensure permanent stationing of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) in the area.
Sharma personally provided financial aid of Rs 25,000 to affected families and alleged that the state government is not displaying the expected seriousness regarding relief operations.
He said it is the government’s duty to quickly rehabilitate disaster victims and emphasised the need to accelerate relief efforts. PTI BPL ARB ARB
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