Cloud bursts, floods devastate Himachal; 5 dead

Shimla: Nature has ravaged Himachal Pradesh once again, bringing back the images and pain of devastation and unconfirmed deaths, leaving dozens of families shocked over the loss of lives as many woke up to destruction early Thursday morning.

The incidents are a sharp reminder of the worst disasters faced by Himachal Pradesh in 2023, causing a loss of Rs 10,000 crore and leaving more than 500 people dead.

Multiple cloudbursts at Rampur early Thursday morning triggered devastating flash floods that washed away numerous houses, families, bridges, and roads across districts.

Five persons have been confirmed dead while approximately 50 are reported missing due to cloudbursts causing significant destruction in areas like Rampur, Nirmand, Sainj, and Malana in the districts of Shimla, Kullu, and parts of Mandi.

“The widespread damage highlights the severe impact of the recent extreme weather events and increased frequency of the cloudbursts after torrential rains, even as some parts of Himachal Pradesh continue to experience less rain,” said officials at the state’s Disaster Management Authority.

The local Meteorological Office has issued a “red alert” for heavy to extremely heavy rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning in isolated locations across the Kangra, Kullu, and Mandi districts for Thursday.

The NDRF team is conducting a rescue operation after a cloudburst in the Samej Khad area of Rampur in Shimla.

The cloudburst caused huge destruction as roads and communication links were completely washed away due to sudden floods.

The affected families are not only left waiting for news about missing persons, including children, while NDRF teams were rushed to the spot for the rescue of flood-affected families and the search for the missing, saying the damages are enormous, and so are the miseries of the people.

Kullu, which has experienced at least four cloudbursts in the past week, came under an alarming situation following the breach of the Malana dam of a hydel project apparently after a cloudburst.

The water level of the Beas River increased abruptly as the district administration sounded an alert to the people living in low-lying areas, asking them to stay away from the river banks.

Deputy Commissioner Shimla, Anupam Kashyap, who has reached the spot with rescue personnel and medical teams, said the priority was given to the rescue of the people and simultaneously the search for the missing persons who had been washed away by the flash flood following the cloudburst.

After a cloudburst in the Samej Khad area of Rampur shortly after midnight, the families did not have time to save themselves from the devastation as many of them were asleep.

“Some people are stuck in the Malana I hydropower project. They are in underground buildings and the NDRF and Home Guard teams are making efforts to rescue them,” said Deputy Commissioner Kullu, Torul S Raveesh. She noted that the Manali-Chandigarh National Highway has been breached at numerous places due to landslides and the gushing waters of the Beas River.

All educational institutions and schools in the district have been closed for two days in Kullu.

Union Home minister Amit Shah and Union Health minister J P Nadda spoke to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and took stock of the situation arising due to the cloudburst in the state and assured him of all help from the Centre.

Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi also condoled the loss of lives in the cloudburst incidents and asked party workers to extend help to those affected.

The India Meteorological Department in Shimla issued a “red alert” for heavy to extremely heavy rain, along with thunderstorms and lightning, at isolated places in the three districts of Kangra, Kullu, and Mandi on Thursday.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is slated to fly to Rampur to oversee the relief and rescue operations as he also assured all help to the affected families.

In Shimla, he held a high-level meeting to review the situation and gave directions to the authorities.