Heavy rains wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh, causing damages worth Rs 10,000 crore, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said earlier. Heavy rains have lashed the hill state since Sunday, triggering landslides in several districts including Shimla where three areas — Summer Hill, Fagli and Krishna Nagar — are badly hit by landslips. Tens of people have been killed and several infrastructures have been damaged since then.
Here's a look at a few details about Himachal Pradesh rains:
Death toll:
The death toll in Himachal Pradesh rose to 71 on Wednesday. "At least 71 people have died in the past three days and 13 are still missing. A total of 57 bodies have been recovered since Sunday night," Principal Secretary (Revenue) Onkar Chand Sharma was quoted by PTI as saying.
Meanwhile, 13 people died in the massive landslide that occurred in Shimla's Summer Hill area on August 14. NDRF official BS Rajput expected that more bodies will be recovered from the debris.
He told news agency ANI on Thursday, "It has been more than 72 hours since the rescue operations started. We are using our special equipment to carry out rescue operations. A total of 120 personnel from NDRF, SDRF, Indian Army, Local Police and others are here at the spot."
Other officials said so far 13 bodies have been recovered from Summer Hill, five from Fagli and two from Krishna Nagar. Some bodies are still feared buried in the debris of the Shiva temple at Summer Hill that collapsed on Monday.
According to the state emergency operation centre, in total, 214 people have died in rain-related incidents in the state since the onset of the monsoon on June 24 while 38 are still missing.
#WATCH | Himachal Pradesh | Rescue operation underway in Shimla's Summer Hill area after a massive landslide took place in the area on 14th August. pic.twitter.com/TD6Q6YPakx
— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2023
Worst affected districts
According to reports, Solan, Shimla, Mandi, Hamirpur, and Kangra are among the worst-hit districts in Himachal Pradesh.
IMD alert in Himachal today
No major alert has been issued in parts of Himachal Pradesh on Thursday. However, light to moderate rainfall is expected in Chamba, , Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Kinnaur, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla and Solan among other regions.
Damages
In an interview with PTI, Chief Minister Sukhu claimed that the estimated loss in the two devastating spells of heavy rains - this week and in July - is about Rs 10,000 crore. he added that his state will take a year to rebuild the infrastructure wrecked by the heavy rains this monsoon.
About 1,200 roads are blocked in the state and the losses suffered by the state since the onset of monsoon on June 24 have crossed Rs 7,480 crore, officials said. They said as many as 10,714 houses have been completely or partially damaged so far.
Shimla: Buildings are seen at Krishnanagar area where houses collapsed after a landslide, in Shimla, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023. (PTI Photo)Schools closed in Himachal?
Abhishek Jain, Secretary-Education of the Himachal Pradesh government, said earlier that the "order being circulated stating that State govt has declared 17th August as a holiday for schools/colleges in the state is fake". Therefore, Himachal Pradesh schools and colleges will remain open in Thursday.
However, all educational institutions will remain closed in the Shimla Urban assembly segment on Thursday as several roads are blocked. Earlier it was reported that the Himachal Pradesh University has suspended teaching activities till August 19.
Rescue ops on
As many as 1,731 people have been rescued from flood-affected areas of Indora and Fatehpur sub-divisions of Kangra district in the last 24 hours, said Deputy Commissioner Nipun Jindal on Wednesday. Specifically, 1,344 people were rescued from Indora and 387 from Fatehpur.
The operation to evacuate people from flood-affected areas is going on with the assistance of Air Force helicopters, Army personnel, and NDRF, Jindal said.
About 15 houses in Krishna Nagar have been vacated and the families shifted to safer places. Several others have vacated their homes themselves fearing slides due to incessant rains.
Rescue workers remove debris during search operation for survivors after a landslide following torrential rain, in Shimla, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023. (PTI Photo)The Army, Indian Air Force, National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force are engaged in the evacuation of people from the flood-affected areas, CM Sukhu said, adding police and Home Guard personnel have also been roped in for the process.
The Indian Air Force has lent its support by deploying a Chinook helicopter, which executed a single sortie to airlift 18 army personnel and a three-ton mini dozer to the landslide-affected regions near Shimla on Tuesday.
A national calamity?
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri has urged the Centre to declare national calamity in Himachal Pradesh and release Rs 2,000 crore for restoration works.
Shimla Meteorological Centre Director Surinder Paul told PTI that the rainfall recorded in the state this July broke all records for the month in the last 50 years.
"Himachal Pradesh has already received 742 mm of rainfall in 54 days of monsoon this year against a season's average of 730 mm it records between June 1 and September 30," a weather official said.
CM Sukhu said this was the most devastating natural calamity the state has gone through in the last 50 years.
In July, heavy rains in the state, including in Mandi, Kullu and Shimla, claimed several lives and destroyed property worth crores of rupees.
First Published: Aug 17, 2023 12:17 PM IST
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