The weather department said that the ‘red alert’ will eventually turn into an ‘orange alert.’ The hill states are witnessing a spate of tragedies due to continuous spells of rain. In Himachal Pradesh, the death toll due to rains in the past two days has climbed to 55. The landslides, flash floods, and cloudbursts are leading to serious losses of lives, damages to properties, and displacement of people.

Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand rains: 10 points

1. In the wake of a huge number of deaths in Himachal Pradesh rains, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu decided to keep a simple ceremony for Independence Day celebrations.

2. “Around 55 people have lost their lives in the state till now. The death toll might go up. Restoration work is being done on a war footing. We are focusing on rescuing people who have been trapped. Chandigarh-Shimla 4-lane highway along with other arterial roads opened. Main roads have been opened, states roads will take time to be operational,” the chief minister said.

3. Citing the heavy rains in the state, the Himachal Pradesh University has suspended teaching activities till 19 August. “Teaching activities in Himachal Pradesh University to be suspended till 19th August; University Library to be closed till 20th July, in view of incessant rainfall,” the HPU order said.

4. As per weather forecasts, the Dehradun, Pauri, Tehri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar areas in Uttarakhand were likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall.

5. In Rishikesh, three people were killed while 10 are missing after several rain-related incidents. The city recorded the highest amount of rainfall across the country on Monday.

6. Number of roads leading to Badrinath, Kedarnath, and Gangotri shrines were damaged due to landslides. The administration has decided to stop the Char Dham Yatra for the next two days.

7. In Himachal Pradesh, Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena said that this time the disaster is mainly in Mandi district and Shimla town. “The disaster is mainly in Mandi district and Shimla town this time. In Shimla town, we’ve lost 15 people and more than 10 people are missing. Rescue operation underway at Shiv temple” he said.

8. As heavy rains lashed the Joshimath town of Uttarakhand, fresh cracks emerged raising the level of fear among the residents of the state.

9. The major highways in the hill areas including Kalka-Shimla, Kiratpur-Manali, and Pathankot-Mandi, Dharamshala-Shimla remain blocked on Monday.

10. During his Independence Day speech, PM Modi also spoke about the people who lost their lives in the natural calamities this year. “…This time, natural calamity has created unimaginable crises in several parts of the country. I express my sympathies to all families who faced this….” PM Modi said.

Updated: 15 Aug 2023, 04:27 PM IST