Monsoon – Heavy Rain Continues to Disrupt Services Across Himachal Pradesh
Monsoon – Heavy monsoon showers continued to affect normal life across Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday, with widespread disruption to transport, electricity, and drinking water services in several districts.
Roads and Essential Services Face Continued Disruptions
Persistent rainfall kept emergency teams busy as authorities worked to restore public services across the state. According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), a total of 153 roads remained closed by Tuesday evening due to rain-related damage and debris. Alongside the road closures, 191 electricity distribution transformers were out of operation, while 58 drinking water supply schemes were reported to be non-functional.
Officials said repair work was progressing in affected areas, with dedicated teams clearing blocked roads, restoring electricity networks, and repairing damaged water infrastructure despite challenging weather conditions.
Mandi, Sirmaur and Kullu Among Worst-Hit Districts
The impact of the monsoon remained most severe in Mandi district, where 51 roads continued to remain blocked. Sirmaur reported 39 road closures, followed by Kullu with 36 and Shimla with 15. Although the overall number of blocked roads declined slightly from 157 earlier in the day, it was still considerably higher than the 109 closures reported on Monday evening.
Authorities confirmed that, despite widespread disruptions on state roads, all National Highways in Himachal Pradesh remained open as of Tuesday evening, allowing long-distance traffic to continue without major interruptions.
Electricity Network Suffers Significant Damage
The state’s power distribution system also experienced substantial disruption due to the ongoing rainfall. Of the 191 affected distribution transformers, Sirmaur alone accounted for 143, making it the worst-affected district in terms of electricity infrastructure. Mandi reported 35 damaged transformers, while Shimla recorded 12.
Power department personnel have been deployed across the affected regions to restore electricity as quickly as weather conditions permit. Officials said restoration efforts are continuing around the clock wherever access is available.
Drinking Water Supply Remains Under Pressure
Heavy rainfall also affected water supply services in several districts. The SEOC reported that 58 drinking water schemes had become non-operational by Tuesday evening, a noticeable increase from the 28 schemes reported earlier in the day.
Sirmaur recorded the highest number of affected water supply schemes at 28, followed by Shimla with 19. The disruption has impacted water availability in multiple localities, with repair teams working to restore normal supply at the earliest.
Multiple Districts Continue to Experience Rain-Related Impact
Apart from Mandi, Sirmaur, Shimla and Kullu, the adverse weather also affected Chamba, Kangra, Hamirpur and Una. Continuous rainfall has increased the risk of localised damage, making restoration work more challenging for field staff operating in difficult terrain.
Authorities said machinery for debris removal, along with personnel from the electricity and water departments, has been deployed across the affected districts to restore essential public services as quickly as possible.
IMD Forecasts More Rainfall in Coming Days
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has indicated that active monsoon conditions are expected to persist across Himachal Pradesh over the next several days. Residents and visitors have been advised to remain alert, particularly in areas vulnerable to landslides and flooding.
Speaking in Shimla on Monday, Senior Scientist Sandeep Kumar Sharma of IMD Himachal Pradesh said rainfall activity is expected to continue across the state from August 3 to August 7. He noted that isolated locations may receive heavy rainfall during this period. However, as of now, no flash flood warning has been issued for the state, though authorities continue to closely monitor the evolving weather situation.