By Martin Shwenk Leade
Heavy rainfall continues to wreak havoc in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, severely affecting the daily lives of residents. Over the past 24 hours, the region has witnessed intense downpours and multiple cloudbursts, causing widespread destruction.Several houses have been damaged and vehicles swept away in the flooding. One local resident shared their ordeal, saying, “Everything got washed away after a cloudburst. We are staying at our relatives’ house.”According to the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, the monsoon fury has claimed at least 37 lives across the state so far. Additionally, property worth over ₹400 crore has been reported damaged, and this figure is expected to rise as assessments continue.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a rain alert for the state until July 7, warning residents to remain cautious amid forecasts of more rainfall.DC Rana, Special Secretary of the State Disaster Management Authority and the Revenue Department, spoke to the media on Wednesday and confirmed the scale of losses. “We have recorded over ₹400 crore in losses so far, as entered in our system. But the actual damage is likely to be much higher,” he said.Live EventsHe further added, “Our primary focus at the moment is on search, rescue, and restoration. Detailed damage assessment will take time.” The Thunag subdivision in Mandi has emerged as the worst-affected area, with massive restoration operations currently underway.Infrastructure across the district has been heavily impacted. “Roads are blocked, electricity and water supply have been hit, and vehicle movement has been severely impacted. Senior officials are stationed there. PWD engineers are overseeing road restoration, while the Director of Operations of the Electricity Board and the Chief Engineer of Jal Shakti are also present in Mandi,” said Rana.So far, 37 deaths have been directly attributed to rain-related incidents, while an additional 26 deaths have occurred due to road accidents during the monsoon period.Speaking on the broader environmental context, Rana acknowledged the influence of global trends: “These events are a consequence of global warming and climate change. Himachal is not untouched by these impacts.”Currently, 250 roads remain closed, over 500 power transformers are non-functional, and nearly 700 water supply schemes are disrupted throughout the state.Multiple agencies are coordinating relief operations, including the State Disaster Management Authority, local administration, police, Home Guards, SDRF, and NDRF units.Meanwhile, in Shimla, continuous rainfall has also disrupted normal routines, particularly affecting school-going children and causing widespread inconvenience.[With inputs from ANI](You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
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