Heavy rains disrupt 374 roads in Himachal; monsoon toll now 257

SHIMLA: Heavy rains continued to wreak havoc across Himachal Pradesh, leaving 374 roads, 524 power distribution transformers, and 145 water supply schemes disrupted as of Saturday morning, said the state disaster management authority (HPSDMA).HPSDMA said NH-305 and NH-05 are among the blocked routes, with landslides and flash floods hampering connectivity, particularly in Mandi, Kullu, and Kinnaur districts. Restoration work is underway, but officials said continuous rainfall and fresh slides are slowing progress.The cumulative toll this monsoon has risen to 257 since June 20. Of these, 133 people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods, and house collapses, while 124 died in road accidents.Mandi district reported the highest disruption, with 203 roads blocked and 458 transformers out of service, followed by Kullu, where 79 roads remain closed, including NH-305 at Jhed (Khanag) due to a major landslide. Water supply schemes were also severely affected in Chamba (24), Kangra (41) and Mandi (44). In Kinnaur, six roads, including NH-05, were blocked after heavy downpoursrains, while Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti reported widespread outages due to flash floods and HT line faults.

Authorities cautioned that intermittent rainfall in the coming days may worsen the situation, and appealed to people to avoid travel through vulnerable stretches. tnn