Shimla: Himachal Pradesh is set to experience another spell of adverse weather, with the Meteorological Centre, Shimla, issuing an Orange Alert for extremely heavy rainfall and landslides in parts of the state from Monday. The weather department has warned that unsettled conditions are likely to continue for the next six days.
An Orange Alert has been issued for Kangra and Sirmaur districts, while a Yellow Alert remains in effect for Bilaspur, Mandi and Solan. The warning comes amid concerns over landslides, falling stones and disruption to road connectivity in vulnerable areas.
Kiratpur-Manali highway blocked after rockfall
Traffic on the Kiratpur-Manali four-lane highway was disrupted for around six and a half hours on Sunday after stones fell from a hillside near Mehla in Bilaspur district.
The affected stretch beyond Mandi-Bharari Chowk was closed at around 1 pm following the rockfall. The highway was reopened at approximately 7:30 pm. The prolonged closure resulted in traffic congestion on both sides of the highway.
Police officials arranged an alternative route to facilitate the movement of vehicles between Bilaspur and Chandigarh.
Vehicles travelling towards Chandigarh from Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Mandi, Kullu and Manali were diverted from the four-lane highway through Mandi-Bharari Bridge to Nauni Chowk, before proceeding towards Swarghat and Kiratpur via the old NH-205.
Similarly, vehicles travelling from Chandigarh towards Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Mandi, Kullu and Manali were routed through Swarghat and the old NH-205 to reach Nauni Chowk.
Meanwhile, the Bagipul-Jaon road in Rampur remained closed due to landslides, cutting off road connectivity to three panchayats in the Nirmand subdivision.
In view of the adverse weather forecast, NCC camps for school students scheduled to begin on August 18 have been cancelled. The decision has been taken as a precautionary measure considering the possibility of heavy rain and landslides.
Weather conditions also affected air connectivity on Sunday. A SpiceJet flight arriving at Kangra Airport (Gaggal) from Delhi was cancelled after light drizzle was reported in Kangra during the morning.
The latest weather warning comes as Himachal Pradesh continues to deal with the impact of a damaging monsoon. The state has so far suffered losses estimated at ₹835 crore, while 66 people have lost their lives during the current monsoon season.
