Rain havoc in Himachal Pradesh: Disaster situation in Mandi district

Heavy rainfall since Monday night has created severe havoc in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district. Cloudburst and flash floods have caused extensive damage in Karsog and Dharampur subdivisions, while landslides and waterlogging have been reported in abundance in Gohar and Sadar subdivisions.

One person has died as a result of flash floods in Karsog. According to local police officer DSP Taranjit Singh, more than 25 civilians have been successfully rescued, and relief and rescue operations are continuing. Several vehicles have been washed away and residential structures have been damaged in Purana Bazar (Panjrat), Kutti, Baral, Mamel and Bhyal areas.

A house was completely destroyed in Gohar subdivision, where a mother and her daughter were rescued, but seven persons are still missing. The water flow coming from Kafal Bhawani Mata Mandir near Sundal village of Mandap tehsil of Dharampur has overflowed. A house and cattle sheds were destroyed due to landslide in Sayathi village of Laungani panchayat, in which livestock casualties are reported.

Due to heavy rainfall, the water level of the Pandoh reservoir has risen rapidly to 2922 feet, while the danger level is set at 2941 feet. To control the water level, more than 1.5 lakh cusecs of water is being released from the reservoir into the Beas river, due to which the river is in spate and water has reached the Panchavaktra temple in Mandi city.

The administration has issued an alert and urged citizens to stay away from water streams. The Chandigarh-Manali national highway is completely blocked and many local connecting roads are also disrupted. As a safety measure, all educational institutions have been temporarily closed, and relief and rescue teams are working vigilantly.