Himachal: Footbridge, makeshift sheds washed away in flash flood after cloudburst in Kullu
Flash floods in Tosh Nallah, Himachal Pradesh washed away a footbridge and three sheds; no casualties reported. Orange alert issued for heavy rain in 7 districts.
A footbridge and three makeshift sheds, including a liquor shop, were washed away following a flash flood triggered by a cloudburst in Tosh Nallah 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.
The local meteorological office has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rain accompanied with 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.
