Himachal Pradesh Landslip: According to a forecast from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), heavy rain is predicted to continue over Himachal Pradesh today. Additionally, it states that Uttarakhand, east Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Sikkim, Odisha, and Jharkhand should expect heavy rains.
Police in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan district opted to restrict commercial vehicle travel on alternate routes during rush hours after the Baddi bridge collapsed. Following yet another downpour of torrential rain, the bridge fully collapsed at around 3 am on Friday.
In other news, the slope stability and slow enforcement of regulations issues that have been raised by numerous architects and engineering experts over the past few years have once again come into focus as a result of the destruction of dozens of buildings across Himachal Pradesh due to landslides and slope instability during the current monsoon season. The issue of safety with regard to construction activities in Shimla, the state of Himachal Pradesh as a whole, and even other hill stations like Mussoorie and Srinagar has come into focus in the last six years thanks to at least two thorough investigations.
Himachal Rains: Downpours Lead To 12 Deaths Cause 400 roads to be closed off, floods, and infrastructure damage August 24th, Thursday Residents of Himachal Pradesh will remember this monsoon season as a tyrant that wrought in terrible landslides and flash floods, taking numerous lives in its wrath. The rest of India may look back on 2023 as a year with “lesser-than-usual” rain.
Over the past few weeks, a series of rainy spells have kept the Himalayan state occupied with rescue efforts, and on Wednesday (August 23), a fresh cloudburst-like incident in Himachal’s Subathu has only served to prolong this catastrophe.
According to sources, since Tuesday’s heavy downpours have caused at least 12 locals to pass away in a variety of rain-related accidents. News reports indicate that seven of these deaths were from landslides in Mandi and Shimla that were sparked by cloudbursts, while the remaining victims perished from electrocution, drowning, and perilous falls in various regions of the state. Officials are concerned that some of the injured are still trapped under the rubble.
The heavy rains have also severely damaged a lot of the infrastructure. Around 400 routes in the hilly state had to be closed due to landslides, including National Highway 21 Mandi-Kullu via Pandoh Dam. Furthermore, Baddi’s connectivity to Haryana and Chandigarh was hampered by the collapse of a bridge due to the swollen Balad river.
Vehicle movement has been severely constrained in the state as usual, particularly in Shimla and Kullu where uprooted trees disrupted traffic. According to sources, numerous structures in the state capital also experienced cracking as a result of the deluge.
Till Friday (August 24–25), the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy rains (64.5 mm–115.5 mm) in select locations in addition to mild to moderate precipitation over the majority of the state. Today (August 24), certain areas may also get extremely heavy downpours (115.6 mm-204.5 mm).
