Shimla: Heavy rainfall triggered landslides in parts of Kullu district even as the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh recorded heavy snowfall. Mid and low hills also continued to be lashed by rain on Friday.In Kullu’s Parvati valley, many tourists were stranded as Manikaran-Barshaini road remained blocked for the second day on Friday due to yet another landslide at Ghatigarh. A landslide blocked this crucial link road on Thursday as well. It was temporarily reopened for a few hours, only to be closed again.A mudslide at Jachhni blocked the Bhuntar-Manikaran road, resulting in a traffic jam on both sides of the link road. Many vehicles crossing the road stretch got stuck in the mud at Jachhni, which has become a mudslide-prone spot for the last few years. Many schoolchildren, who were returning home after appearing for the Class X board examinations, were unable to cross the muddy section of the road. The children were carried to the other side of the road by a few villagers.An official said the road was temporarily reopened in the late afternoon, but chances of its closing again were high due to constant rain.In Kullu town, a landslide struck the Manali highway behind a gas station near the Bhootnath bridge. A part of the gas station infrastructure suffered damage in the landslide. Another landslide hit a link road near a hydropower project site in Sainj.A part of the Manali highway, which was damaged in last year’s floods and is yet to be rebuilt properly, started caving in near Raison due to heavy rainfall on Friday. However, the traffic on the highway was not affected.Heavy rainfall continued to pose a threat to the residents of Inner Akhara Bazaar, a landslide-prone area where 10 people lost their lives last year. As a precautionary measure, the administration Thursday evening vacated five houses in Inner Akhara Bazaar.It’s been raining intermittently in Kullu district for the last three days and, according to ADC Ashwani Sharma, a total of 35 roads remained closed on Friday due to rain and snow.The Manali-Atal Tunnel highway was also closed for tourists at Nehru Kund near Manali due to heavy snowfall. The Atal Tunnel and nearby areas received around 3 feet of snow by Friday evening. The Jalori Jot mountain pass in Kullu district was also closed due to snowfall on Friday.Other high-altitude places where it snowed on Friday included Keylong, Sissu, Udaipur, Jispa, Gondhla, and Kukumseri in Lahaul Spiti; parts of Pangi valley in Chamba; and Sangla, Kalpa and Hansa in Kinnaur district of the state.In Lahaul Spiti, a massive avalanche that hit near Thirot in the Udaipur sub-division temporarily stopped the flow of the Chenab river Friday evening.According to the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Lahaul Spiti, a total of 134 roads were blocked in the district due to heavy snowfall over the last few days.Meanwhile, moderate to heavy rainfall was recorded in Kullu, Shimla, Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, and Bilaspur and in the remaining districts of the state.According to the Meteorological Centre, Shimla, Kullu district recorded the highest rainfall of 35.9 mm, 926% more than the normal of 3.5 mm, till Friday morning at 8.30 am.Solan recorded 25.9 mm of rain, Kangra 23.6 mm, Mandi 20.8 mm, Kinnaur 20.9 mm, Lahaul Spiti 18.6 mm, Hamirpur 17.3 mm, and Chamba 16.9 mm.Overall, the state recorded an average of 21.4 mm rainfall, which was 436% higher than the normal of 4 mm.On Friday, Kalpa in Kinnaur recorded the lowest minimum temperature of 0 degrees Celsius. The Met has predicted dry weather in Himachal Pradesh for March 21 and 22.MSID:: 129700236 413 |
