Glacier melt triggers flash flood in Lahaul-Spiti's Jhalma Nallah, road link snapped; over 50 tourists vehicles stranded
Lahaul-Spiti, June 30
A sudden surge in water flow triggered a flash flood-like situation in Jhalma Nallah of Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul-Spiti district on Monday afternoon, washing away a portion of the road connecting the remote region and leaving more than 50 tourist vehicles stranded.
The incident was caused by a sudden increase in glacier meltwater, even though no rainfall was reported in the area, officials said.
Lahaul-Spiti Superintendent of Police Shivani Mehla said that over 50 vehicles of tourists were stranded after the road was damaged by the swollen nallah.
She said restoration work on the damaged stretch was underway and was expected to be completed within the next two hours. Once the road is restored, all stranded tourists will be safely evacuated.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), along with the local administration, has been engaged in emergency restoration work, and officials expressed confidence that connectivity would be re-established at the earliest.
The flash flood-like incident occurred on Monday afternoon, disrupting traffic and temporarily cutting off road access in the area. Authorities are closely monitoring the situation, while no casualties or injuries have been reported so far.
— ANI
Reader Comments
This happens every monsoon, yet we keep building and traveling in these areas. Modiji should focus on building tunnels.
Kudos to the BRO and local administration! They're doing a great job restoring the road so quickly. Tourists should also be more careful during the monsoon season.
The scary part is this happened without any rainfall. Global warming is accelerating glacier melting at an alarming rate. We need to talk more about climate adaptation strategies for Himalayan states.
On a lighter note, saved a holiday trip to Spiti! 😁 But seriously, we need better early warning systems for such flash floods.
Tourism is the livelihood of Lahaul-Spiti, but trying to visit during monsoon is risky business. Hope the state government compensates the stranded tourists fairly.
BRO is doing its best, but we need more resilient roads. The stress on natural resources by unchecked hill development is real. Let's learn from Netherlands or Switzerland for such terrains.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.