Kullu: Heavy snowfall and rain threw life out of gear in many parts of Himachal Pradesh on Friday, as over 200 roads remained blocked, water supply got disrupted and several regions plunged into darkness, with avalanches, landslides and flash floods occurring in many parts of the state.
While the high hills received snowfall, the mid and low hills were lashed by heavy rainfall on Friday.
Lahaul-Spiti district remained cut off from the rest of the state and continued to receive snowfall for the third day on Friday. All roads in the district remained blocked and many areas faced power outages for several hours. The local administration ordered the schools and other educational institutes to remain closed for the second day on Friday. According to the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), a total 165 roads remained blocked across the district.
Most places in the district, including Koksar, Sissu, Keylong, Jispa, Tandi, and Gondhla, received over 4 feet of snow by Friday. An avalanche hit near the Jobrang village in the Lahaul valley. Another avalanche hit near Tupchiling village, temporarily blocking the flow of Bhaga river.
In Kullu, Manali and surrounding areas received the season’s heaviest snowfall. It snowed over 1 feet in Manali and over 2 feet in the Solang valley by Friday morning. All roads to Manali were blocked, as many nearby areas, including Naggar, Patlikuhal, Katrain, and Raison, also received the season’s first snowfall.
Heavy snow and rain also resulted in major power outages in the entire Kullu valley. The residents had to go without power for over 18 hours as a total 864 distribution transformer regions (DTRs) had become non-functional. The continuous rains for the second day also triggered flash floods in many areas of Kullu, including Shastri Nagar where many vehicles got damaged even as flood water also entered many houses in the surrounding areas. The Sarvari rivulet in Kullu was also in spate and the vegetable market in the nearby Bhuntar town was submerged in water as incessant rain continued throughout the day.
In Manali, the wooden roof of Hadimba temple was damaged after a branch from a Deodar tree fell on it due to heavy snowfall.
The Kullu administration also kept all educational institutions closed on Friday. The schools and other educational institutions were also closed in Mandi’s Karsog sub-division. The Chandigarh-Manali highway was closed for a few hours following a landslide near Banala in Mandi district, and a private bus fell off the road in the nearby Panarsa village after the land caved in. The driver and conductor of the bus suffered minor injuries in the accident.
Following a landslide in Nigulsari and two avalanches, the Shimla-Kinnaur highway was blocked at three places for some time. While an avalanche was reported near Tinku nullah in Pooh of Kinnaur district, another occurred at Jangi nullah. Many villages in Kinnaur, including Chitkul, Rakchham, Charang, Nesang, Asrang, Rupa, Giabung, and Hango, received over 2 feet of snow by Friday afternoon.
Another landslide at 4 Mile near Pandoh in Mandi district blocked the Chandigarh-Manali highway. By the filing of this report, the highway was being cleared of the debris.
The tribal Bharmour and Pangi belts of Chamba district also received heavy snowfall on Friday. The Chamba-Holi road was also blocked due to a landslide near Holi on Friday and a glacier blocked the Bharmour-Bargran road. The upper areas of Shimla, including Narkanda, also received snowfall on Friday.
Heavy snowfall and rain also triggered a cold wave in the state as maximum temperature fell 5 to 7°C below normal in most parts of the state.
Pandoh dam’s floodgates opened
The flood gates of Pandoh dam in Mandi district were opened to release the excess water. In a statement, Mandi administration said due to continuous rainfall and melting snow in the Beas River catchment area, the water inflow into the Pandoh reservoir steadily increased, prompting authorities to open the flood gates. The spillway gates of the Shanan hydro dam in Barot were also opened due to rise in the water level.
Cloudburst in Chhota Bhangal
A flash flood, triggered by a cloudburst, in Ropru nullah swept away four vehicles in Chhota Bhangal area of Kangra district. The flash flood occurred in the morning hours in an area which borders Mandi district’s Barot village. In the nearby Jogindernagar, Uhl river was also in spate.
