At least 334 persons have perished in rain-related incidents across the state Himachal Pradesh since the start of the monsoon rain on June 24. Road accidents have wiped out the lives of up to 116 individuals.
Financial loss
The estimated cost of the state’s financial losses this monsoon is 7,660 crore. Losses totaling 2,656 crore have been incurred by the public works department, 1,842 crore by the jal shakti department, and 1,506 crore by the electricity board.
On Friday, there was sporadic rain in Himachal Pradesh, with isolated areas receiving light to moderate precipitation.
Blockage of roads
506 routes, three of which are highways, still have traffic restrictions throughout the state, according to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA). Up to 1,950 homes have sustained complete destruction, while 9,344 have suffered partial damage.
Three national highways are among the blocked roads: Mandi-Kullu, Mandi-Pathankot, and Aut-Banjar. Mandi’s government has decided to keep all schools closed, with the exception of Kotli and Thunag, due to a maximum of 264 highways being blocked. Both Kullu and Shimla had 69 and 63 roads closed, respectively.
From joint commissioner
Dr Bhuwan Sharma, Joint Commissioner of the municipal corporation of Shimla, told The Indian Express, “Since, tree felling is restricted in Shimla, the applications to cut them down were referred to Tree Committee, which includes officers from other departments. Considering the current situation, the applications will be redressed shortly. Maximum applications received are from the residential areas.Cedar (Deodar) is the predominant species of trees found in Shimla and its surrounding areas. Apart from cedars, there are pines which are found in large numbers.” Scientists say they are becoming more frequent as global warming contributes to the melting of glaciers there.