Heavy rains to lash parts of Himachal Pradesh, IMD issues red alert; 3 national highways among 821 roads blocked

PTC News Desk: Torrential rains continue to cause severe disruption across Himachal Pradesh, with 821 roads, including three national highways, blocked and 1,236 distribution transformers out of service, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre.

District-wise, 253 roads are blocked in Chamba; 207 (including NH-3) in Mandi; 176 (including NH-305) in Kullu; 61 in Kangra; 39 in Shimla; 22 in Una; 18 each in Solan and Sirmaur; 13 in Bilaspur; 11 in Lahaul and Spiti (including NH-5) in Kinnaur; and one in Hamirpur, severely impacting traffic movement across the state.

Of the affected transformers, 357 are in Kullu, 330 in Una, 296 in Chamba, 117 in Mandi, 51 in Solan, 11 in Kinnaur, nine in Lahaul and Spiti, three in Shimla, and two in Kangra. In addition, 424 water supply schemes are disrupted — with the highest number in Kangra (212), followed by Chamba (77), Mandi (56), Kullu (39), Shimla (32), and four each in Solan and Hamirpur — leaving many areas without water.

The State Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for Chamba, Sirmaur, Solan, and Bilaspur, warning of heavy rains, possible landslides in vulnerable zones, and waterlogging in low-lying regions. Shimla and surrounding areas, along with other parts of the state, are under an orange alert, indicating the likelihood of very heavy rainfall at isolated locations in the coming hours.