Breaking News Live Updates: Red alert in Himachal Pradesh as monsoon rains spark severe flood warning

Time of India

2 days ago

Breaking News Live Updates: Heavy rain has pushed the Beas River into severe flooding. Himachal Pradesh woke up to blocked roads, power cuts and broken pipelines as the monsoon tightened its grip. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) raised a red alert for the state. The rain hasn't paused, crippling daily life and cutting people off from basic services. Massive disruptions across districts The Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HPSDMA) counted 259 roads blocked and 614 transformers knocked out. Water supply lines took a big hit too — 130 schemes stopped flowing overnight. 'The monsoon is intensifying its grip, and the impact is visible across multiple districts. Roads, power lines, and water systems are all severely affected,' said an official from the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC). He added that field teams are trying day and night to fix what's broken. Mandi district is the worst affected. It alone reported 139 roads blocked and 314 power transformers damaged — most of them in Gohar, Mandi II and J Nagar. A landslide at Jagatkhana in Bilaspur choked the highway, forcing traffic into a single lane. Floodwater at Pandoh in Mandi only made matters worse. Kullu, Sirmaur and Lahaul also reeling Sirmaur district counted 92 water schemes hit, including 19 in Nohradhar. Kullu has 20 roads blocked and 47 water schemes down in Kullu, Largi and Anni sub-divisions. Spiti Valley in Lahaul and Spiti saw 139 transformers fail in one blow. An official from the Revenue and Disaster Management Department said, 'Our top priority is restoring access and utilities in the worst-hit areas like Mandi, Sirmaur, and Kullu. Repair teams are being deployed with urgency.' Landslides trigger highway chaos On Monday, landslides and shooting stones shut down the Chandigarh-Manali highway for hours. Traffic was halted near Thalout, Larji and 9 Mile in Mandi. Commuters had no choice but to crawl along link roads or wait for bulldozers to clear debris. At Thalout, falling rocks blocked the road by the tunnel exit for two hours. A local official explained, 'The highway got blocked near 9 Mile late Sunday night due to a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall. By the time the landslide debris was cleared in the morning hours, there were more landslides and incidents of shooting stones; that's why it took time to restore the traffic movement.' Police warned of more falling stones near 4 Mile, 7 Mile and Dwara — known danger spots when the hills are soaked.
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Himachal Pradesh: Due to very heavy rainfall in the region, the Beas River is experiencing severe flooding.
Red alert in Himachal Pradesh as monsoon rains spark severe flood warning
Heavy rain has pushed the Beas River into severe flooding. Himachal Pradesh woke up to blocked roads, power cuts and broken pipelines as the monsoon tightened its grip.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) raised a red alert for the state. The rain hasn't paused, crippling daily life and cutting people off from basic services.
Massive disruptions across districts
The Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HPSDMA) counted 259 roads blocked and 614 transformers knocked out. Water supply lines took a big hit too — 130 schemes stopped flowing overnight.
'The monsoon is intensifying its grip, and the impact is visible across multiple districts. Roads, power lines, and water systems are all severely affected,' said an official from the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC). He added that field teams are trying day and night to fix what's broken.
Mandi district is the worst affected. It alone reported 139 roads blocked and 314 power transformers damaged — most of them in Gohar, Mandi II and J Nagar.
A landslide at Jagatkhana in Bilaspur choked the highway, forcing traffic into a single lane. Floodwater at Pandoh in Mandi only made matters worse.
Kullu, Sirmaur and Lahaul also reeling
Sirmaur district counted 92 water schemes hit, including 19 in Nohradhar. Kullu has 20 roads blocked and 47 water schemes down in Kullu, Largi and Anni sub-divisions. Spiti Valley in Lahaul and Spiti saw 139 transformers fail in one blow.
An official from the Revenue and Disaster Management Department said, 'Our top priority is restoring access and utilities in the worst-hit areas like Mandi, Sirmaur, and Kullu. Repair teams are being deployed with urgency.'
Landslides trigger highway chaos
On Monday, landslides and shooting stones shut down the Chandigarh-Manali highway for hours. Traffic was halted near Thalout, Larji and 9 Mile in Mandi. Commuters had no choice but to crawl along link roads or wait for bulldozers to clear debris.
At Thalout, falling rocks blocked the road by the tunnel exit for two hours. A local official explained, 'The highway got blocked near 9 Mile late Sunday night due to a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall. By the time the landslide debris was cleared in the morning hours, there were more landslides and incidents of shooting stones; that's why it took time to restore the traffic movement.'
Police warned of more falling stones near 4 Mile, 7 Mile and Dwara — known danger spots when the hills are soaked.