Himachal IMD issues orange alert amid heavy monsoon rains
Mandi, July 31
Amid continuous monsoon rainfall across Himachal Pradesh, the India Meteorological Department issued an Orange Alert for the region until July 31.
In Mandi district, the Beas River is currently flowing at normal levels, and no incidents of flash floods or other rain-related disasters have been reported so far. Cloud cover persists across the district, while scattered rainfall was recorded in different parts of Mandi on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) released an additional 12,000 cusecs of water from the Pandoh Dam due to increased inflows into the reservoir, taking the total discharge into the Beas River to approximately 36,000 cusecs.
Authorities have advised residents, tourists and workers to stay away from the riverbanks, as water levels may rise further if inflows continue to increase. Sirens will be sounded before any additional release of water from the dam.
Heavy monsoon rainfall has triggered floods and landslides across several states, including Assam, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Kerala.
Earlier, on Wednesday, restoration of essential services gathered momentum across the state, with the number of blocked roads declining to 152 as authorities continued large-scale clearance operations following heavy monsoon rains.
According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), the number of blocked roads across the state fell to 152 by 6 p.m. on July 29 from 192 reported a day earlier. No national highway is currently blocked.
Mandi district remains the worst affected with 58 blocked roads, followed by Kullu (31), Chamba (30), Sirmaur (14) and Shimla (14).
Power supply also improved significantly during the day, with the number of disrupted Distribution Transformer Regions (DTRs) reducing to 72 from 189 reported earlier. Chamba accounts for 59 affected DTRs, followed by Mandi (8) and Sirmaur (5).
The drinking water supply situation also showed improvement, with disrupted water supply schemes declining to 68 from 80. Hamirpur has the highest number of affected schemes (23), followed by Bilaspur (18), Mandi (16) and Chamba (15).
— ANI
Reader Comments
Our state is bearing the brunt of climate change. Monsoon patterns are becoming unpredictable. I appreciate the IMD's early warnings, but the government must also invest more in drainage systems and landslide-prone area mapping. Prevention is better than cure.
I'm from Mandi and I must say the restoration work has been quite fast. Roads were blocked at 192 spots and now it's down to 152. That's progress! Salute to the workers clearing debris in this weather. 👏
The sirens before releasing water from Pandoh Dam is a great practice, but does the local administration have a proper evacuation plan? Simply warning isn't enough, people living downstream need clear routes and shelters ready in case of emergency.
Meanwhile our neighbouring states are also suffering. This is a widespread monsoon crisis and the Centre should release additional disaster relief funds for Himachal, Assam and Kerala without delays. Central assistance should reach all affected states.
Each monsoon exposes our infrastructure gaps. 58 blocked roads in Mandi alone shows we need sturdier roads with proper drainage. Let's hope the authorities learn from this and not just patch things up temporarily. Solid infrastructure is needed.
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