Rain fury: Chandigarh-Manali, Jammu-Srinagar NH blocked
ON A STANDSTILL Water level rises in Beas, ChandigarhManali National Highway closed; vehicles stranded; bus, truck washed away in river; snowfall in Rohtang
JAMMU/SHIMLA:The ChandigarhManali and Jammu-Srinagar highways remained closed on Sunday following incessant rains in Himachal and J&K.
The highway connecting Jammu with Srinagar was blocked due to landslide triggered by heavy rains in the Ramban Panthiyal area of Jammu region, officials said.
Several parts of the regions have been receiving heavy rainfall since the early hours of Sunday, with many high-altitude areas witnessing their first snowfall of the season. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the 270km all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, they said.
The Chandigarh-Manali highway was blocked for traffic after Beas water flooded the road near Hanogi Temple in Mandi district. A portion of the road was submerged in the water leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded on both sides.
SHIMLA :The southwest monsoon remained aggressive on Sunday in Himachal Pradesh with most of the areas experiencing heavy to extremely heavy rains, causing landslides in some areas and blocking the highways. All the major rivers and their tributaries were in spate, officials said.
While picturesque tourist town Manali recorded the highest rainfall in the state at 127 mm, it was 125 mm in Dharamshala, 124 mm in Una and 90 mm in Dalhousie.
State capital Shimla saw 47 mm rain.
However, higher reaches of Kullu, Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti districts saw snowfall.
HIGHWAYS CLOSED
The water level of the Beas river also rose abnormally touching the Chandigarh-Manali National Highway 21 near the Hanogi Temple in Mandi district. As the road submerged in water, the highway remained closed on Sunday. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on both sides of the road.
Small landslides also took place at Hanogi Mata Temple area of NH 21
Meanwhile, a truck and Volvo bus were washed away in Beas river water at Manali. The bus was parked in the official parking lot at Manali and sudden increase in the river water washed away a portion of the ground along with the bus.
However, no casualty was reported from both the district by the evening.
Further, the highway that connects Manali with Leh in Jammu and Kashmir has been closed for traffic owing to heavy snow, officials said. “The traffic between Manali and Leh has been closed since Saturday,” an official of the 38 task force of the General Reserve Engineering Force (GREF) told IANS.
The Manali-Leh highway is crucial to the movement of the armed forces and their supplies and wares to forward areas in Ladakh.
An official of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation said it would take a week to restart the bus services between Manali via Keylong and Leh.
Meanwhile, the 13,050 feet high Rohtang Pass, the main tourist attraction and located 52 km from here, was also closed.
Mandi-Pathankot national Highway 153also remain partially blocked on Sunday.
WHAT’S IN STORE
An official of the local Met office said there are chances of heavy rainfall at some places in the state till Monday and thereafter the intensity of rains will start receding.
Incessant rains have also caused massive landslides on national highways in Shimla, Kinnaur, Mandi and Kullu districts, hampering vehicular traffic.The water level in the major rivers of the state — the Satluj, Beas and Yamuna — which enter the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana has also increased, a government official said.
The weather condition has also added to farmers’ woes as they were harvesting maize crop but the fields got waterlogged, and stopped the process.
20 RESCUED FROM ROHTANG PASS AFTER HEAVY SNOWFALL
LAHAUL-SPITI : At least 20 stranded people have been rescued from the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday, a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) official said.
They were stranded due to the closure of the Rohtang Pass after heavy snowfall, Lieutenant Colonel DS Bisht said.
After getting information, a General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) truck was sent and they were brought to Manali safely with the help of Col AK Awasthi and Kullu deputy commissioner (DC) Yunus, Bisht said.
Rohtang Pass witnessed about four feet of fresh snowfall on Sunday.
18 TRAPPED DUE TO SWELLED BEAS IN KULLU
As many as 26 people were trapped in the swelled Beas river water at Dobhi area of Kullu district out of which, eight were rescued from Rohtang top of Kullu district on Saturday night. The rescue operation was delayed due to bad weather on Sunday.
Dobhi is an open land and site area where paragliders land.
POWER PROJECTS AFFECTED
District administration of Mandi and Kullu issued red-alert as the excess water was released from
Beas Sutlej Link (BSL) project Pandoh and Larji power project’s reservoir.
Power production at Largi power project hampered due to excess silt on Sunday.
Bhakra Beas Management Board- BSL project executive engineer Rajesh Handa said flood gates of the Pandoh Dam have been opened to release excess water of Beas river and warning has been issued to Kangra district authorities to take precaution.
SCHOOLS IN KULLU, KINNAUR CLOSED TODAY
All government and private schools will remain closed in tribal district of Kinnaur on Monday as per the directions issued by deputy commissioner Gopal Chand, an official said.
The Kullu deputy commissioner also declared holiday in government and private schools and institutions on Monday but added that teachers and staff will have to come.