Beas river in spate as Himachal Pradesh hit by cloudburst, heavy rain | Watch
The IMD has predicted very heavy rainfall till August 2 for the state. Slight rains expected to continue till August 6
Visuals from Himachal Pradesh showed the Beas river flowing to the brim as heavy rains continued to lash the Himalayan state on Thursday, news agency ANI reported. The monsoon activity is likely to intensify over the hill state as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert till August 2.
One person died and over 30 were reportedly missing after a cloudburst in Shimla district's Rampur division, PTI reported. Roads and a hydro power project in the area have also been damaged. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and state police have been deployed to start rescue operations.
The weather agency had predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning in all districts of Himachal Pradesh except Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti districts for Thursday.
A yellow alert has been issued predicting heavy rain over isolated places from Friday. The current spell of rains is expected to last till August 6 in the state.
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The IMD had warned of possible landslides and flashfloods along vulnerable areas in Kullu, Solan, Sirmaur, Shimla and Kinnaur districts. Kutcha houses and plantations along low-lying areas were also warned of possible damages due to strong winds and waterlogging. A building collapsed and was washed away in the raging Parvati River in Kullu, PTI reported.
Many roads in the state were closed for vehicular traffic as continuous rainfall increased the possibility of landslides. A total of 45 roads, including 29 in Mandi, eight in Kullu, four in Shimla and two each in Kangra and Kinnaur were closed, said the emergency operation centre. The power supply also remains affected as almost 215 transformers were disrupted.
The state has suffered losses to the tune of ₹425 crore in the current monsoon season. During the last active spell of rain in the first week of July, 76 roads were closed, 34 electricity supply schemes and 69 water supply schemes were disrupted.
