SHIMLA: Heavy monsoon rainfall continues to wreak havoc across Himachal Pradesh, taking a heavy toll on life, property, and key infrastructure. According to the official report issued by the State Disaster Management Authority at 10:00 AM on August 19, a total of 197 people have lost their lives in monsoon-related disasters and road accidents across the state.
Additionally, 313 people have sustained injuries, and one person remains missing. Total damages to public and private property have been estimated at ₹1,00,171.78 lakh.
279 Roads Blocked Across State
Fresh heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours has led to the closure of 279 roads statewide. Mandi remains the worst-hit district with 100 blocked roads, including 35 in the Seraj subdivision, 25 in Thalout, 23 in Dharampur, and 5 in Sundernagar.
Chamba district reported 83 road closures, comprising 22 in Chamba subdivision, 21 in Bhattiyat, 18 in Tissa, and 12 in Salooni. In Shimla, 26 roads are shut (19 in Jubbal, 4 in Rampur, 2 in Chopal, and 1 in Sunni). Kullu reported 25 blocked roads (8 in Nirmand, 7 in Kullu, 6 in Banjar, and 4 in Anni).
Furthermore, road blockages include 16 in Sirmaur, 8 in Hamirpur, 6 in Kangra, 5 in Solan, 4 in Una, 4 in Lahaul-Spiti, and 2 in Bilaspur.
Breakdown of Deaths and Disaster Incidents
Direct monsoon-related disasters accounted for 81 deaths. Landslides claimed 14 lives, with 13 deaths in Lahaul-Spiti and 1 in Chamba. A flash flood in Kangra caused 1 fatality. Falling trees and rocks killed 28 people, including 8 in Shimla, 7 in Kullu, 4 each in Chamba and Mandi, 2 in Kangra, and 1 each in Hamirpur, Kinnaur, and Sirmaur.
Snakebites accounted for 8 deaths (4 in Kangra, 2 in Sirmaur, 1 in Shimla, and 1 in Una), while electrocution claimed 8 lives (3 in Kangra, 2 in Una, and 1 each in Hamirpur, Mandi, and Shimla). Drowning led to 5 deaths (2 in Sirmaur, 1 each in Kangra, Kullu, and Shimla), while 1 death occurred due to a fire incident in Kullu. Other disaster reasons accounted for 16 deaths.
District-wise disaster deaths stand at: Lahaul-Spiti (14), Kangra (13), Shimla (12), Chamba (10), Kullu (9), Mandi (8), Sirmaur (7), Una (3), Hamirpur (2), Kinnaur (2), and Solan (1).
116 Deaths Reported in Road Accidents
Adverse weather and damaged road conditions led to road accidents that claimed 116 lives during this monsoon season. Sirmaur recorded the highest casualty count with 17 fatalities, followed by Chamba (16), Kullu (14), Shimla (14), Kangra (12), Una (12), Solan (11), Kinnaur (5), Lahaul-Spiti (5), Mandi (5), Bilaspur (4), and Hamirpur (1).
Financial Losses Cross ₹1,000 Crore
Disasters caused by rain and landslides have led to massive infrastructure damage. Among public departments, the Public Works Department (PWD) suffered the highest loss of ₹75,090.82 lakh, followed by the Jal Shakti Department at ₹22,746.11 lakh. Losses sustained by other departments include the State Electricity Board (₹530.61 lakh), Health Department (₹214.20 lakh), Agriculture (₹72.04 lakh), and Horticulture (₹6.92 lakh).
Private property damage is equally severe. A total of 85 houses were completely destroyed, including 32 pucca and 53 kutcha houses. Another 314 homes suffered partial damage, including 117 pucca and 197 kutcha structures. The state also lost 14 shops and factories, 5 labor sheds, 5 traditional watermills/crematoriums, and 284 animal sheds. In total, 429 livestock animals have perished.
Power and Water Supplies Disrupted
Essential services remain disrupted in several regions. Across the state, 310 power transformers (DTRs) are non-operational. Disrupted transformers include 101 in Lahaul-Spiti, 78 in Sirmaur, 64 in Mandi, 27 in Shimla, 15 in Solan, 14 in Una, 9 in Hamirpur, and 2 in Kullu.
Additionally, 84 drinking water supply schemes have been impacted. These include 32 in Hamirpur (21 in Barsar, 11 in Bhota), 23 in Sirmaur (Sangrah), 17 in Shimla (8 in Jubbal, 7 in Rampur, 2 in Chopal), 10 in Chamba (Bhattiyat), and 2 in Solan. Concerned departments are actively carrying out restoration work.
