Shimla: The southwest monsoon made a destructive entry into Himachal Pradesh, triggering cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides and widespread disruption across several districts. Three cloudburst incidents were reported in Lahaul-Spiti and Chamba, while a woman lost her life in Mandi after being hit by a falling rock. Heavy rain also damaged roads, crops, homes and power infrastructure, leaving several areas cut off from the rest of the state.
According to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), 35 roads have been closed, 127 electricity transformers have gone out of service, and drinking water supply has also been affected in many areas due to the incessant rainfall.
In Lahaul-Spiti, cloudbursts struck Padak village in Pattan Valley and Jispa on Tuesday night. The resulting flash floods damaged standing crops, blocked the Rewaling link road and brought debris onto the Manali-Leh National Highway, forcing its closure. The Tandi-Sansari road was also shut after a local stream overflowed.
Another cloudburst hit Kidi Gram Panchayat in the Saho area of Chamba district, damaging apple orchards and washing away a 500-metre stretch of the Kidi-Banjal road near Jungli Nala. Three footbridges near Kainchi Morh were also swept away by the strong current.
Heavy rainfall disrupted road connectivity across Chamba. The Pathankot-Bharmour Highway at Batti Di Hatti and the Chamba-Tissa road near Pangola Nala and Luna remained closed for nearly six hours due to rising water levels. Around 30 panchayats were cut off, while debris entered several houses in Salooni. On the Kilar-Sechu road, a JCB machine was buried under debris.
In Mandi, heavy rain between 4 am and 10 am caused the Beas River and local streams to swell. Near the Shani Temple in Aut, a woman was killed after a rock dislodged from a hillside struck her while she had stepped out of her vehicle to help a child who was vomiting.
In Una, rain that began early Wednesday morning led to waterlogging in several areas and affected business at the vegetable market as water entered shops. Water levels in the Swan River and several seasonal rivulets rose sharply. In the Bharwain area near Chintpurni, a large portion of the road on the Mubarikpur-Ranital National Highway caved in, posing a threat to three nearby shops.
Continuous rainfall also affected Shimla district. Rising water levels in the Ganvi Khad cut off access to three panchayats in Rampur subdivision. The Shimla-Mataur National Highway-205 remained closed throughout Wednesday after a massive landslide near Kyarar on the Bilaspur-Solan border, disrupting traffic between Shimla, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Mandi.
In Kinnaur, water continued to be released from the Nathpa Dam as rivers swelled. Heavy rain lashed Kalpa and Reckong Peo, while the overflowing Rispa nullah washed away the road connecting the village.
In Kangra, overnight rain caused water to enter homes and shops in Shahpur, Jawali and Khaira before weather conditions improved later in the day. In Hamirpur, falling debris blocked the Sujanpur-Sandhol road for around 45 minutes near the Beas bridge. In Salooni subdivision, a family narrowly escaped after debris from a hillside entered their home during the rain.
Despite widespread rainfall, humid conditions persisted in areas that remained dry, with Una recording the state’s highest maximum temperature of 32 degrees Celsius.
The India Meteorological Department’s rainfall data showed that Himachal received 251 per cent more rainfall than normal between the night of June 30 and the evening of July 1. Against the normal rainfall of 4.1 mm, the state recorded 14.4 mm during the period.
District-wise, rainfall was 572 per cent above normal in Kangra, 544 per cent in Chamba, 501 per cent in Kullu, 308 per cent in Bilaspur, 305 per cent in Hamirpur, 171 per cent in Mandi, 11 per cent in Shimla, seven per cent in Solan and three per cent in Una. In contrast, rainfall remained 100 per cent below normal in Kinnaur, 64 per cent below normal in Lahaul-Spiti and 69 per cent below normal in Sirmaur, highlighting the uneven distribution of monsoon showers across the state.
