Himachal Monsoon Claims Six Lives, Injures Ten and Kills Over 300 Animals: Disaster Management Official Reports

Six people have died and ten others have been injured due to heavy rains that have caused landslides and flash floods in several parts of Himachal Pradesh. The state has also witnessed 303 animals getting killed after the extreme weather conditions. According to Onkar Chand Sharma, Principal Secretary, Disaster Management, Himachal Pradesh, the entire area is expected to suffer a loss of around Rs 3 crore. Further, 124 roads, including two national highways, were damaged during the monsoon. The Mandi-Kullu National Highway was blocked by the Mandi police, and the alternative Mandi-Joginder Nagar Highway was also closed. Around 200 people, including tourists, were stranded in the Bagipul area of the state’s Mandi district due to the flood. 
 
Officials of the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, and Civil Defence, along with the Central Water Commission and the India Meteorological Department, were present in a meeting on June 21st to discuss preparation for the monsoon. The state has been receiving monsoon rains for the past three days, with updates of heavy rain, flash floods and landslides coming from various parts of the state, as per Onkar Chand Sharma. Sharma has urged people to follow protocols and warnings issued by the state and has also requested tourists to follow guidelines issued by the state government and Disaster Management. The administration is undertaking rescue operations for the people stranded in the adverse disaster conditions. 
 
The Principal Secretary, Disaster Management, said, The NDRF, SDRF, and Civil Defence officials have been pre-positioned in several areas and are ready to carry out rescue operations and other relief measures from wherever we receive alerts. An alert has been issued in the state for the next 24 hours, and people are urged to download the SACHET app that will notify them of local as well as national disaster alerts. Restoration work is consistently ongoing, and the authorities are alert to reports of any new damages or disasters and will remain so until the situation is under control.