Rain leaves over 60 roads blocked in Himachal Pradesh

Shimla: Over 60 roads have been blocked in Himachal Pradesh following rains, officials said on Sunday.

A maximum of 31 roads were closed in Mandi, 13 in Shimla and Mandi, 10 in Kangra, four in Kinnaur, two in Kullu and one each in Una, Sirmaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts, the state emergency operation centre (SEOC) said.

National Highway 5 (the Hindustan-Tibet road) is blocked near Negulsari in Kinnaur district. As many as 11 power and one water supply scheme are also disrupted in the state, the SEOC said.

Moderate rains lashed parts of the state since Saturday evening. Una was the wettest, recording 48 mm of rain followed by Kufri 19.8 mm, Sangla 17.2 mm, Jubbarhatti 15.6 mm, Mandi 15.6 mm, Nichar 14.8 mm, Bijahi 14 mm, Kalpa 8.1, Berthin 7 mm, Dehra Gopipur 6.3 mm and Dalhousie 5 mm.

Himachal Pradesh's rainfall deficit since the onset of monsoon in the state on June 27 stands at 21 per cent, with the state receiving 522.2 mm rainfall against an average of 657.9 mm.

A total of 158 people have died in rain-related incidents during the ongoing monsoon season from June 27 till September 7, while 30 are still missing. The state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 1,305 crore, the officials added.