Flash floods, rain play havoc in Kangra district
Tribune Reporters


Control rooms

A control room has been set up at the district headquarters here with
phone numbers 01892-224967 (police lines), 01892-229278 (district
magistrate's office) and a national toll-free number 1077. Similar
control rooms have been set up at all subdivisional headquarters.

Snowfall

The higher mountain peaks in Manali and Kangra experienced snowfall
today. The seven sister peak, Shikhar Beh and Mukher beh in Manali
wore caps of snow, while the Dhauladhar ranges were also snow-clad.


Dharamsala, July 8
On Sunday morning, the people of Dharamsala town woke up to face one
of the heaviest rainfalls ever witnessed during the past many years.

Although the town is known for heavy rainfall next only to
Cheranpunji in the country, today's heavy downpour, followed by
cloudbursts on the Dhauladhar ranges, resulted in flash floods in
many rivulets flowing through the hill town.

The nature's fury caused damage to the National Highway-88 near
Kangra, washing away a portion of the Dharamsala-Sheela-Kangra road,
causing damage to many bridges and buildings in and around Dharamsala.

When The Tribune correspondent visited Sheela chowk in the town, the
Manjhi rivulet was flowing above the danger mark. A portion of the
Dharamsala-Sheela-Kangra road near the Batehr village was washed away
in the flash flood, blocking the traffic completely.

A portion of the temple comprising bathing ghat on the rivulet was
also washed away. The main temple building was almost on the verge of
collapse as a portion of the rock on which it was standing had been
washed away. The administration has got the temple building vacated
and imposed a ban on entry of priests and the common people into it.

Eight flats in the housing board colony were damaged due to flash
flood in the Manooni rivulet. A small bridge across the rivulet
adjoining the housing board colony and another over the Manjhi
rivulet near Khaniara village were also partially damaged.

Reports from Kangra revealed that the National Highway-88 was blocked
by a heavy landslide near Brijeshwari ghat. A portion of the highway
was reportedly washed away near Kangra. However, traffic was restored
for light and medium vehicles via old Kangra when the report last
came in.

A bridge situated on the Kangra-Jamanabad road was partially damaged.
There were also reports of loss to private and public property in the
Nurpur and Jawali areas. Six families had been shifted to a safer
place at Rajauli village after rainwater entered their houses.

Machinery of the Subash Power Project at Palampur was also damaged in
the rain, said Bharat Khera, district magistrate of Kangra.

Shimla: Normal life was affected in some parts of the state following
widespread rain over the past 24 hours. Strong winds that accompanied
the incessant rain brought down a steep fall in the maximum
temperature across the state.

The maximum precipitation of 100 mm was recorded at Bhuntar, followed
by Sundernagar (72 mm), Shimla (35 mm) and Una (8.8 mm). The tribal
area of Kinnaur also had moderate rain that caused the maximum
temperature at Kalpa to plummet from 30°C to 17.1°C.

Bhuntar recorded a maximum of 20°C, down 16°C from yesterday's 36°C.
Sundernagar saw the maximum temperature fall from 34°C on Saturday to
23.8°C. Shimla had a maximum of 18.3°C, down 8.6°C from 24.9 °C
recorded yesterday.

The rain triggered numerous landslips that blocked link roads in
interior areas. Shimla also witnessed some landslides one of which
blocked the road leading to the Himalayan Forestry Research
Institute. It also posed danger to the stability of six houses
located uphill.

The foundation of a house was shaken by landslip in Dhalli. It posed
a threat to the adjoining houses, too. Minor slides were reported
from lower Kahlini and Vikas Nagar areas.

KULLU: Torrential and incessant rain during the past 12 hours
affected the normal life in the district. The water level in the Beas
crossed the danger mark and its tributaries were also flooded. The
water level suddenly went high in the Sarwari River and Mohal Nullah
due to flash floods.

Twenty residential kiosks in the Lanka Baker Colony were washed away
while 40 huts have been evacuated. However, no loss of life was
reported. A pedestrian bridge at Bhootnath across the Sarwari was
washed away.

Bus services were affected due to landslides at Luggar Bhatti on the
Kullu-Manali left bank road, Chharor Nullah on the Bhuntar-Manikaran
road and at many places in the Lug Valley. Sources in the HRTC
confirmed that the buses on these routes were not plying.

MANDI: Daylong spell of heavy rain in the central region today sent
several nullahs surging and triggered landslides that disrupted
traffic on the Pathankot-Mandi national highway at Guma, near
Jogindernagar, on the Mandi-Dharampur highway near Dharampur and on
the Mandi-Manali highway near Bhuntar for two to three hours today. A
couple of link roads in the district were also blocked due to
landslides.

The traffic on the Pathankot-Mandi highway remained blocked for three
hours near Gumma where the surging Khani Nullah brought huge mass on
the highway.

The Mandi-Dharampur highway also remained blocked near Dharampur for
around an hour. A couple of link roads in the district were blocked
due to landslides.

Chamba: Rain accompanied by a thunderstorm has damaged the kharif
crops in certain parts of the district. A house collapsed at Mai-Ka-
Bagh in the outskirts of Chamba town but no loss of life was reported.

The Chamba-Nayagran and Chamba-Satrundi highways have been blocked by
landslides at different points, disrupting traffic. Efforts were on
to restore traffic.