Himachal landslides claim 5 lives amid relentless rains

KULLU: At least five people died in landslides as heavy rainfall battered Himachal Pradesh amidst a red alert on Monday, blocking over 1,200 roads, including five highways, and disrupting power and water supply in the state.A man and his 10-year-old daughter died after a landslide struck their house in Junga in Shimla district on Monday morning. An official said the deceased were identified as Virender Kumar, 35, and his daughter Chhutki. The official added that the deceased's wife survived as she was not inside the house when the landslide struck.In the Chol village of Kotkhai in Shimla, an elderly woman died after being trapped in the debris of a landslide that destroyed her house.

Locals attempted to rescue her by clearing the debris, but she was found dead beneath the rubble, said an official. In Shimla, a 23-year-old woman died after the wall of her room collapsed following a landslide in Boli village of Jubbal area. A 37-year-old woman died in similar circumstances in Chauras village of Nohradhar tehsil of Sirmaur district. Sheela Devi was sleeping with her husband and child when the landslide hit the house.

While Sheela Devi's husband managed to rescue the child, Sheela got trapped under the debris and died, said an official.Death toll reaches 326The death toll in Himachal Pradesh has climbed to 326 this monsoon. Continuous heavy rainfall over the past several days has led to land sinking in several parts of the state.A total of six houses and 15 cowsheds have been completely destroyed, while seven other houses suffered severe damage due to land subsidence in Chabutra Khas village of Sujanpur sub-division in Hamirpur district of the state."Each of the affected families has been provided with immediate relief of Rs 25,000, and a relief camp has been set up for the homeless, where food and other essential facilities are being provided," said Hamirpur deputy commissioner Amarjeet Singh.The problem of land sinking has also been destabilising houses in many villages of the Mandi and Kullu districts, including Solang Valley, Lug Valley, and Sainj area.Teachers shift to online classesAll educational institutions, including schools and colleges, remained closed in most parts of the state, and teachers were asked to hold online classes as heavy rainfall lashed the state, paralysing daily life. Shimla and Solan administrations on Monday decided to keep all the schools and colleges closed on Tuesday as well due to the heavy rainfall alert.Daily disruptions: Roadblocks and power cutsAccording to the SEOC, a total of 1,277 roads remained blocked across the state on Monday, with the highest 267 in Shimla, followed by 256 in Mandi, 239 in Chamba, 167 in Kullu, 126 in Sirmaur, 68 in Solan, 60 in Kangra, 28 in Bilaspur, 27 in Una, 15 in Hamirpur, 13 in Lahaul Spiti, and 11 in Kinnaur. Large areas of Himachal also faced power outages on Monday as the functioning of 3,207 transformers was disrupted across the state due to landslides and heavy rainfall. The highest 722 transformers remained non-functional in Shimla district, followed by 691 in Sirmaur, 518 in Solan, 436 in Kullu, 207 in Chamba, 291 in Mandi, 146 in Lahaul Spiti, 123 in Una, 51 in Kinnaur, 20 in Hamirpur, and 2 in Kangra. Water supply was also affected in many parts of the state as a total of 790 water supply schemes were disrupted due to landslides, flash floods, and heavy rainfall.

As many as 278 water supply schemes were to be restored in Shimla district, 212 in Kangra, 100 in Chamba, 81 in Mandi, 54 in Hamirpur, 39 in Kullu, 14 in Solan, and 6 each in Lahaul-Spiti and Sirmaur.Highways remain blockedThe Chandigarh-Manali highway also remained blocked at multiple locations due to landslides for the second day on Monday, and the light vehicle traffic was diverted through the alternative Kamand-Kataula link road, which too got closed in the evening due to landslides.

The Manali to Leh highway, Aut to Jalori Jot, and Chamba to Bharmour highways also remained blocked on Monday. The NH 5 was also blocked due to a landslide at Malling Nala in Kinnaur on Monday.

The Nigulsari point, which was blocked on Saturday, was not yet reopened for highway traffic even on Monday.In Lahaul Spiti, the Pagal Nala near Sissu was again flooded on Monday, blocking the Leh highway, and on the other hand, Shinkula Pass and Sarchu received light snowfall.The traffic movement on the Parwanoo-Shimla highway was also disrupted after a landslide hit the road at Salogra near Solan on Monday. The traffic was allowed after the debris was cleared. Landslips triggered by heavy rainfall also affected the train movement at Koti and Sanawara on the Kalka-Shimla track as one train was cancelled and another terminated at Dharampur station.Around 50 people were evacuated from the Bangran area in Paonta Sahib sub-division of Sirmaur district after floodwaters from the Giri River entered a residential area. The swollen river also washed away irrigation and water supply infrastructure in the region. An official stated that damage assessment is currently underway.