This week has brought an intensifying wet spell to the hill state. The weather office has issued its ‘orange alert’ for the prospect of very heavy rain and the attendant disruptions to power and transport. Officials are calling for caution as the rain holds on; already more than 100 roads are shut and water schemes have been hit.
Where the orange alert applies
According to the Shimla Met Office, one should expect heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated spots in the state on Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. It is not a matter of a single-day burst but of stronger systems building through the week.
For the next couple of days the attention is on three districts. Kangra and Sirmaur are under the 'orange alert‘ on Monday. By Tuesday the list will include Mandi as well as Kangra, the weather office says.
Official alerts at a glance
– Monday: ‘orange alert’ for Kangra and Sirmaur
– Tuesday: ‘orange alert’ for Kangra and Mandi
– An ‘orange’ designation is a warning of major disruptions and severe weather
Road closures and water supply impact
The State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) has 118 closed roads across Himachal Pradesh as of Sunday evening, a consequence of the torrential downpours. Mandi has seen the most with 44 shut, then Kullu with 39, and 13 in Shimla. There are also closures in Chamba (seven), Sirmaur (six), Kangra (five), Una (three) and Solan (one).
Water infrastructure has been no less hard hit. Some 18 water supply projects were affected by Sunday evening. Just earlier in the day officials were tallying 136 closed roads and trouble at 17 water sources, a sign of how quickly the situation on the ground can change.
Rainfall snapshot across key locations
Sunday saw light to moderate rain in several places. Paonta Sahib had 38.2 mm and Sarahan 25.8 mm. In Dharamshala the reading was 6.2 mm, up from 3.1 mm recorded since Saturday evening. Gharmour put in 5.6 mm.
Up in the higher reaches the pattern is more of an intermittent shower than a uniform deluge. Jot and Kukumseri both registered 2.8 mm while Dehra Gopipur and Kotkhai measured 2.3 mm apiece.
Temperatures at the extremes
There is a marked contrast between the lower plains and the mid-hills in these monsoon phases. Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti was the coldest on Sunday at 11 degrees Celsius minimum, whereas Una was the warmest at 34 degrees.
Toll and economic losses since June 30
Since the monsoons began on June 30 there have been fatalities. One report puts the toll from rain-related incidents at 66, another at 68 or more, which would account for 14 in landslides and a flash flood victim.
In terms of the bottom line, the state is looking at Rs 835 crore in losses over this time, covering damage to public utilities, roads and other infrastructure from the washouts and landslides.
Why it matters and what to expect
Under the India Meteorological Department’s colour-coded system an ‘orange alert’ means severe weather is imminent and significant disruption to be expected – something that has already been the case in parts of the state with utility and road hits.
The weather department is forecasting the wet conditions in Himachal Pradesh to continue till August 15. With further rain in the offing for the alerted districts on Monday and Tuesday, authorities are likely to be revising restoration timelines and road status on a frequent basis.
Commuters, tourists and residents should plan for detours and restrictions while agencies go about clearing the way and restoring services. With the terrain and current alerts in mind, heeding local advisories will be important in the coming days.
