Footbridge, makeshift sheds washed away in flashflood after cloudburst in Kullu

A footbridge and three makeshift sheds, including a liquor shop, were washed away following a flash flood triggered by a cloudburst in Tosh Nullah in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district, officials said on Tuesday.

“The incident took place in the Tosh area of Manikaran early in the morning. No loss of life was reported,” Kullu deputy commissioner Torul S Raveesh said, adding that a team has been sent to the spot to assess the situation.

“Our appeal to the people is to stay away from rivers and rivulets and do not make temporary structures near nullahs,” she said. The deputy commissioner said that construction activity is prohibited during the monsoon and strict action would be taken against anyone defying the norm.

In another rain-related incident, the water level suddenly rose in Palchan Nulluh disrupting traffic on the Manali-Leh highway for a while. The traffic was restored after the water receded.

Meanwhile, a youth from Chandigarh, Paramjit Singh, had a harrowing time when he spent the entire night on a boulder at the trijunction of Suketi river and the Beas. He was rescued by a police team and the locals. According to information, when Paramjit found that it was difficult to reach the riverbank, he climbed the boulder. He was residing with his relative in Mandi town. After being rescued, the police informed his family members.

The local meteorological office has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning in seven districts of the state on Wednesday and Thursday. The MeT has also sounded a yellow alert for heavy rain at isolated places on August 2 and 3.

Monsoon activity is likely to intensify with widespread precipitation in the next four to five days, it said.

Spells of heavy to very heavy rainfall are likely to occur at one or two places in the districts of Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla and Sirmaur on Wednesday and Thursday, the weather office said.

It cautioned of the possibility of landslides and flash floods in vulnerable areas of Kullu, Solan, Sirmaur, Shimla, and Kinnaur districts, and damage to plantations and standing crops, vulnerable structures and kutcha houses due to strong winds and waterlogging in low-lying areas.

Meanwhile, light rainfall was witnessed in a few parts of the state.

According to the meteorological centre, Sarahan and Rohru recorded 12mm of rainfall since Monday evening followed by Sangrah (10mm), Jogindernagar (8mm), Sainj (6.5mm), Manali (6mm), Rampur (5.8mm), Dharamshala (5.4mm) and Gohar (5mm).

Official data until Monday evening showed rain-related incidents have claimed 62 lives in the past one month since the onset of the monsoon on June 27.

The state has suffered losses to the tune of ₹425 crore in the ongoing monsoon, according to the state emergency operation centre.