At least 51 people were killed as rains wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh, triggering landslides that blocked key roads, damaged homes and buried devotees in the rubble of a temple here.
Fourteen bodies were recovered from the sites of two landslides in the state capital, and officials feared there could be more people trapped under the debris of the Shiva temple in Summer Hill area.
The shrine was crowded with devotees, offering prayers on an important day of the holy month of Sawan.
Nineteen people died in rain-related incidents in Mandi district, Deputy Commissioner Arindam Chaudhary told PTI.
In Solan, another badly affected district, 11 people including seven members of a family have been killed.
The weather office predicted extremely heavy rains in nine out of 12 districts of the state, barring Kullu, Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti, on Monday and issued a yellow warning for Tuesday.
Shimla SP Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi told PTI that 14 bodies have been pulled out of the rubble at the two landslide sites of Summer Hill and Fagli, while 17 persons rescued.
A cloudburst in a village in Himachal Pradesh killed seven people, while incessant rains in Uttarakhand triggered landslides and caused river Beas to swell. Schools and colleges were closed in these states.
Seven members of a family were killed after a cloudburst hit a village in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan district, an official said.
The incident occurred at Jadon village late on Sunday night. Two houses were washed away and six people were rescued, Solan Divisional Commissioner Manmohan Sharma said.
The deceased people were identified as Harnam (38), Kamal Kishore (35), Hemlata (34), Rahul (14), Neha (12), Golu (8) and Raksha (12), Solan Superintendent of Police (SP) Gaurav Singh said.
In Shimla, 25 to 30 people were feared to be trapped under debris after a Shiva temple collapsed in Summerhill area due to heavy rainfall. Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu told India Today that nine bodies were pulled out from the rubble.
According to the police, there were nearly 50 people who had come to worship at the temple amid torrential rains.
A fire brigade team was present at the spot. The police and a State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team were involved in rescue operations.
These incidents came as heavy rainfall continued to pound Himachal Pradesh and neighbouring Uttarakhand in the past 24 hours, with landslides blocking key roads, washing away bridges, forcing the closure of educational institutions and causing water levels of rivers to swell.
In Himachal Pradesh, a conductor of a private bus suffered injuries after a tree got uprooted and fell on a vehicle in Shimla.
A bus was damaged after a tree fell on it following heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla. (Photo: PTI)
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced that all schools and colleges in the state would be shut till August 14 (Monday) due to the incessant rains.
A total of 621 roads, including a maximum of 236 in Mandi, 59 in Shimla and 40 in Bilaspur district are currently closed for vehicular traffic, according to the state emergency operation centre.
A key stretch of the Shimla-Kalka National Highway connecting Shimla and Chandigarh has been affected by recurring landslides over the past two weeks, officials said.
Incessant rains for the past 48 hours have caused havoc in all parts of the Hamirpur district, leading to a spate in river Beas and its tributaries. The worst affected are the areas where the nullahs of Maan and Kunah are located, officials said.
The rains and landslides have caused widespread damage to crops, fertile land and official and private buildings in all parts of Hamirpur. The district administration has warned people not to venture out and avoid going near the Beas river bank and nullahs.
Since the monsoon’s onset in Himachal Pradesh on June 24, the hill state has so far suffered losses to the tune of Rs 7,020 crore and 257 people have died in rain-related incidents and road accidents, the emergency operation centre said.
The weather office has issued a yellow warning of heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places in the state from August 14 to 17 and predicted a wet spell in the state till August 19.
UTTARAKHAND
In Uttarakhand, landslides triggered by incessant rains have blocked traffic on various roads, including national highways, affecting the movement of people, officials said.
Rishikesh-Chamba National Highway was blocked for traffic due to a landslide near Kunjapuri Bagardhar in Tehri while the movement of heavy vehicles was stopped on Rishikesh-Devprayag-Srinagar National Highways at Sakhnidhar.
The Ganga in Haridwar was flowing above the danger mark at 294.90 metres.
What happens when the ground beneath your feet sinks, and the roof over your head falls apart? CNA programme Insight looks at the confluence of factors behind a disaster in the Himalayas and what is being done for its mountainfolk.
Anjali Rawat and her husband Ajay had to evacuate their home in January.
It was a start to the year that Anjali Rawat and her family did not expect: Having to run for their lives in the middle of the night.
Cracks were appearing in the hotel behind their home in Joshimath town. The hotel windows were falling, an employee informed Anjali’s neighbour.
“They called another neighbour and told everyone to leave their homes because the hotel was falling down,” recalled Anjali, who ran out with her husband Ajay and their son Shivansh, 10.
Months back, cracks had also formed in her home. When her family returned in the morning after they had been forced into the freezing cold, their house “looked the same, but the cracks had increased”, she described.
We heard loud noises, as if an earthquake had struck. But we didn’t know whether our house would break or sink.”
Next, their balcony collapsed, and one side of the house was “wholly damaged”. They had to move into a temporary shelter provided by the municipal authorities.
What happened in the Himalayan town of Joshimath, in India’s northern Uttarakhand state, was not an earthquake but the earth subsiding.
The disaster hit the world headlines as cracks appeared in over 800 buildings, causing many to become unsafe. Some 300 families were forced to evacuate.
Nearly seven months later, residents of the pilgrim town remain unsettled and uncertain about the future — and they are not the only ones, the programme Insight found. The authorities, meanwhile, say they are taking all steps needed to stabilise the hilly areas.
‘VERY, VERY UNSTABLE’
Scientists believe a confluence of factors caused Joshimath to crumble: unstable ground, unfettered urbanisation including a lack of drainage, and the increased presence of water in part due to climate change.
Joshimath’s popularity with hikers and pilgrims has led to population growth over the decades, from about 48,000 in 2011 to more than 60,000 now.
Situated at an elevation of about 1,900 metres, it is a stop along the way to Badrinath Temple, one of four revered Hindu shrines. The pilgrimage season, which draws millions of devotees, usually lasts for about six months from April.
