India News
16 people have died within 24 hours in two separate incidents related to heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh, the state’s Chief Minister has confirmed. Seven people died after a cloudburst incident in the Solan district last night, while nine others were killed in a landslide at a Shiv Temple in Summer Hill area of Shimla city. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has appealed to the people to stay indoors, and avoid going near drains or rivers. He also appealed to people to move away from landslide-prone areas, and said he has directed emergency workers to relocate people from such areas.
15 to 20 people were feared buried in two landslides in Shimla city, Deputy Commissioner of Shimla Aditya Negi told news agency PTI. The other site is in the Fagli area, where several houses were buried under mud and slush.
Six people were rescued after the cloudburst at Mamligh village of Kandaghat subdivision in Solan. Two houses and one cowshed were washed away, news agency ANI reported.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu offered condolences in a tweet, and said he has directed the authorities to ensure all possible assistance and support to the affected families.
“Devastated to hear about the loss of 7 precious lives in the tragic cloudburst incident at Village Jadon, Dhawla Sub-Tehsil in Solan District. My heartfelt condolences go out to the grieving families. We share in your pain and sorrow during this difficult time,” the Chief Minister’s Office tweeted.
ccording to the state emergency operation centre, 752 roads were closed in the state because of the calamity.
All educational institutes in the hill state will be shut today in view of the safety of students amid heavy rains, the Chief Minister said on Sunday, adding that he has spoken to all District Collectors in the state for feedback on the damage and devastation.
He was also informed about the closure of the road routes and the damage caused by landslides. The Chief Minister has instructed the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary as well as all DCs to keep a close watch on the situation in views of heavy rains. The administrative staff should be alert and maintain smooth arrangements for roads, electricity, and water, the Chief Minister has said.
The Department of Education of the state issued a notification informing that all the ongoing examinations of Post Graduate classes including B Ed exams scheduled on August 14 have been cancelled.
The heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh, and neighbouring Uttarakhand, are due to a fresh spell of Western Disturbance, the Indian Meteorological Department said today.
“The location of the Monsoon trough lies along the foothills of the Himalayas, and hence the South-westerly Arabian Sea monsoonal winds are hitting the Himalayan foothills,” the weather department said.
According to an IMD statement on Sunday, moderate to heavy rainfall at many places is very likely to continue over the state with very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in the district of Chamba, Kangra, Hamirpur, Mandi, Bilaspur, Solan, Shimla, Kullu, and Sirmaur.
It further forecasted very heavy rainfall at many places and extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in Beas, Ranjit Sagar, and the Pong dam catchment area.
According to the official data, the state so far witnessed 90 landslides and 55 flash flood incidents. While nearly 450 roads including 2 National Highways are still closed in the state. 1,814 electricity supply schemes are still hampered, and 59 water supply schemes are still disrupted, the officials informed.
