Heavy monsoon rains claimed 354 lives, caused over Rs 3,219 crore damage in Himachal

The north Indian hill state of Himachal Pradesh recorded 354 deaths and damage estimated at more than Rs 3,219 crore during an 85-day monsoon period marked by landslides, cloudbursts, flash floods and other rain-related disasters, according to data released by the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC).

The north Indian hill state of Himachal Pradesh recorded 354 deaths and damage estimated at more than Rs 3,219 crore during an 85-day monsoon period marked by landslides, cloudbursts, flash floods and other rain-related disasters, according to data released by the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC). The monsoon disaster period, from June 30 to September 22, caused widespread damage across the state's 12 districts, with 143 people losing their lives in disaster-related incidents and another 211 deaths being reported in road accidents.

Of the 143 disaster-related fatalities, 54 were caused by falls from trees or steep rocks, 18 by landslides, 17 by drowning, 16 by snake bites and 10 by electrocution. Another 28 deaths were attributed to fire, flash floods and other disasters. Shimla reported the highest number of disaster-related deaths at 23, followed by Chamba with 20, Kangra with 19, Lahaul and Spiti with 18 and Mandi with 16.

The state suffered total monetary losses approximately Rs 3,219 crore, during the period. The disaster also caused extensive damage to residential properties, with 601 houses completely destroyed and 1,416 partially damaged.

Livestock losses were also significant, with 1,317 animals and 572 poultry birds reported dead due to various disaster-related incidents. Despite restoration efforts, 47 roads remained blocked across the state as of September 22. Mandi had the highest number of blocked roads at 21, followed by Kangra with 10, Kullu with seven, Sirmaur and Una with three each, Lahaul and Spiti with two and Shimla with one.

Power supply also remained disrupted in parts of the state, with 13 Distribution Transformer Regions (DTRs) in the Pangi subdivision of Chamba district affected. The SEOC has also reviewed the operational status of emergency communication systems to ensure connectivity during disasters.

The state-level emergency helpline 1070 was reported fully functional and capable of receiving calls through BSNL, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio networks. The district-level emergency helpline 1077 was also reported operational across all 12 districts through BSNL, Airtel and Jio networks. However, Airtel connectivity for calls to the 1077 emergency line in Lahaul and Spiti was listed as non-operational.

Calls through Vodafone-Idea (Vi) to the 1070 and 1077 emergency numbers were marked as unavailable in the latest SEOC status report. The figures underline the scale of the damage caused by the prolonged monsoon season, with the state continuing restoration and relief operations in affected areas. (ANI)