Himachal Pradesh battles heavy monsoon rains; landslides disrupt transport services

In the hill state of Himachal Pradesh, the wrath of the monsoon season continues unabated, with an ‘orange’ alert for heavy to very heavy rain having been issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) yesterday, followed by a ‘yellow’ alert indicative of heavy rainfall for today. As per the weather authorities, it is anticipated that the high intensity of rainfall will persist across Himachal Pradesh over the subsequent two days.

Resultant from the persistent downpours, the region has experienced widespread landslides and flash floods, leading to the closure of over two hundred roads thus far. Specifically, National Highway 205 was obstructed at Dakesh within Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur district due to a landslide. Reports indicate that the landslide event had a damaging impact on two trucks and a light motor vehicle. In connection to this incident, the HP Traffic, Tourist and Railways Police stated on their online platform that, “NH 205 totally blocked at Dakesh due to a landslide. An alternate route is Darlamod to Beri via Kharsi ( single road).”

It has also come to light, via the Shimla police, that landslides have caused disruption in numerous areas, blocking routes such as the Tutikandi-Phagli bypass at Kanlog, Cart Road near Edward School, Mehli-Badagaon-Shoghi highway around Beolia, and the Shimla-Mandi NH 205 at Hiranagar.

With landslides closing NH-5 at Chakki Mod close to Parwanoo in the district of Solan the day before, officials have confirmed that considerations towards restoration efforts are currently underway.

In light of the ongoing circumstances, the Himachal Pradesh police issued an advisory to the general public on the preceding day, urging them to err on the side of caution in their travel plans; bypassing non-essential travel and night-time journeying, particularly in areas where the condition of the roads are not up to standard. In a statement, they highlighted that landslides and rockslides are less visible at night, and therefore pose greater risk. Their overarching message was to promote safety and vigilance.

Since the commencement of monsoon season in the mountainous area on June 24, casualties have escalated to figures exceeding two hundred lives lost, and another approximately 295 individuals suffered injuries as a result of occurrences like landslides and flash floods, as according to Himachal Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi. Moreover, damages to local infrastructure have been extensive, with about 800 homes being completely destroyed and another estimated 7500 houses sustaining partial damage.

In terms of record keeping, Himachal witnessed over 115% surplus rain in July – marking a historical high across several years. Over the span of the past nineteen years, the typical trend has been a deficiency in annual rainfall within the state. Exceptions to this trend were noted in 2005, 2021 and 2022, where a surplus was recorded, albeit not highly significant.