Shimla, Himachal Pradesh [India], September 8 (ANI): As heavy rains continue to batter Himachal Pradesh, the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) on Monday reported widespread damage to power lines, roads, and water supply schemes across the state.
According to the SDMA’s morning update, a total of 1,181 power lines have been disrupted. Among these, 722 Distribution Transformer Regions (DTRs) were affected in Kullu, followed by Mandi (127), Chamba (171), Shimla (68), and Sirmaur (76).
In addition to power disruptions, 356 water supply schemes have been affected. Shimla recorded the highest number of disrupted schemes at 125, followed by Mandi (79), Kullu (63), Chamba (42), and Sirmaur (12).
The impact on road connectivity has also been severe, with 820 roads damaged or blocked across various districts. Kullu reported the highest number of road blockages with 225 roads affected, followed by Mandi (188), Shimla (141), Chamba (88), and other districts including Sirmaur, Kinnaur, Hamirpur, Lahaul-Spiti, Kangra, Solan, Bilaspur, and Una.
“The incessant rain over the past weeks has severely affected road connectivity, power supply, and drinking water schemes, hampering restoration efforts in multiple districts,” said an SDMA official.
Hence, due to the severe impact on essential services caused by heavy rain, the SDMA official stated that restoration efforts continue to be hampered in multiple districts of the state.
The cumulative death toll due to rain-related incidents in the state has reached 366. Of these, 197 fatalities were directly caused by rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods, and house collapses. The remaining 169 deaths were due to road accidents.
National highways have also been impacted. NH-03 and NH-305 in Kullu and NH-70 in Una are currently closed due to landslides and road damage. Traffic has been diverted via alternative routes.
Restoration work is underway, although operations continue to be hindered by adverse weather conditions and terrain. (ANI).