Shimla, Jul 22 (PTI) The Shimla Met Office on Wednesday issued a yellow alert for heavy rains in isolated parts of Himachal Pradesh till July 28.
The forecast comes even as three persons were injured, and 12 more houses were damaged in the Boh Valley of Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district amid overnight rain, officials said.
With this, the total number of houses damaged in the valley has climbed to 18. Six houses were washed away in a downpour on Tuesday.
The meteorological department warned of low to moderate flash flood risk in parts of Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla, Sirmaur and Kullu districts over Wednesday and Thursday.
A cloudburst triggered flash floods and massive debris flows in Sapedi and Garun villages of the valley on Tuesday, with Lam village also staring at similar situation.
Several routes leading to the villages have been affected.
A total of 13 pucca houses and five kutcha houses have been damaged in the rain, and three persons have been injured. Nine cowsheds have also been damaged.
Three buffaloes, four cows, one bull and one sheep died, officials said.
According to reports, residents heard a loud blast-like sound from the hills moments before a powerful torrent of water, mud and boulders rushed downhill.
Timely evacuation of residents is believed to have prevented any loss of life.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu spoke over the phone with Kangra Deputy Commissioner Hemraj Bairwa and took feedback on the situation following cloudburst incident.
Sukhu said he would soon visit the cloudburst site to personally assess the damage, adding that his government would provide all possible assistance to those whose houses were damaged in the cloudburst, a statement issued here said.
Presiding over a high-level review meeting to assess the prevailing monsoon situation in the state, Chief Secretary Kamlesh Kumar Pant directed all deputy commissioners (DCs) to remain on high alert.
The chief secretary directed the DCs to maintain the highest level of preparedness and ensure prompt response to any emergency arising due to heavy rainfall, flash floods, landslides, cloudbursts, or other monsoon disasters and closely monitor vulnerable locations and ensure seamless coordination with the state and all line departments.
The DCs briefed the CS on the prevailing conditions in their respective districts and the measures being undertaken to mitigate the impact of monsoon-related disasters.
The Met cautioned that low to moderate flash flood risk is likely over a few watersheds and neighbourhoods of Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla, Sirmaur and Kullu districts over the next 24 hours.
Moderate to heavy rains lashed parts of Himachal Pradesh, and Mashobra in Shimla district was wettest in the state, recording 128.5 mm of rainfall since Tuesday evening followed by Naina Devi 106.4 mm, Nangal Dam 90 mm, Kufri 77.2, Brahmani 77 mm, and Shimla 69.5 mm.
Several roads in the state have been blocked due to torrential rains over the past few days.
People have been asked to avoid unnecessary travel, stay away from rivers, streams, nallahs and landslide-prone slopes, and refrain from attempting to cross overflowing bridges or flooded roads. PTI BPL PRK
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