Himachal rains: Kangra flooded as 5,000 pilgrims remain stranded in Chamba

The release of water from the Pong Dam and excessive rains have flooded 27 panchayats of Indora area in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh as the state grapples with intense monsoon showers that have caused cloudbursts and landslides, causing many deaths and loss of property and leaving at least 5,000 pilgrims stranded.

Congress MLA from Indora, Malendra Raj, said in the Vidhan Sabha on Friday (August 29) that extensive damage and loss have been caused by the floods as water entered the villages for the first time.

This came even as landslides continued to wreak havoc in the neighbouring Chamba district, where 10 people, including those stranded at Manimahesh trek, have been killed in landslides, rock fall, or drowning since August 24.

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916 roads closed

According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), 916 roads remain closed in the state. Eight people have suffered injuries and four went missing after landslides wrecked several places in the district.

In the meantime, the release of 10 lakh cusecs of water from the Pong Dam has caused massive damage to private property, and agriculture land and orchards have been washed away, Raj said, as he raised the issue during zero hour and urged the government to conduct a survey of affected areas and provide adequate compensation to the affected families.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said that the matter is in the notice of the government which is committed to conduct relief and restoration operations.

More rains expected

The local meteorological office has issued an orange alert of heavy to very heavy rain in parts of Chamba, Kangra, and Kullu districts on Saturday (August 30), and Una, Kangra, Mandi, and Sirmaur on Sunday (August 31).

Bharmour, where most of Manimahesh Yatra trekkers are stranded, remains cut off from the rest of the state due to landslides at many places. Rations and other essential commodities are being airlifted there from Chamba town.

Among those who died, Dharshna Devi, Salochna, Kavita, Rekha Devi, Sagar Bhatnagar, and two children have been identified. Three persons, Aman, Rohit, and Anmol, died due to lack of oxygen.

Satellite phones and police wireless have been the only mode of communication for the past three days in the region, Chamba Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Amit Mishra said. Mobile networks have been restored in most parts now, except Bharmour, which has been the worst-hit part of the district.

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'No disaster management'

Local MLA Janak Raj alleged that people there were hard-up for water and food and demanded helicopters be deployed to rescue the stranded pilgrims.

Meanwhile, videos of pilgrims walking on foot on a broken trail between Bharmour and Chamba surfaced online. People were seen making human chains and holding ropes for support to cross gushing drains and navigating steep climbs and slopes.

“There was no administration, no disaster management, even after the weather alert. People left their vehicles and two-wheelers and started walking. There was no road and mobile connectivity. Crumbling mountains and the furious Ravi roaring below, it was a difficult walk,” a Chamba native, who returned from Bharmour after four days, said.

“Even now, thousands … are stuck from Gaurikund to Bagga in the hope that they will be rescued. The Bharmour to Kalsui road is almost destroyed, and airlifting is the only solution,” he said.

Evacuations top priority

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday directed the Chamba officials to evacuate Manimahesh pilgrims on top priority. He also directed the restoration of communication services in other parts of the district, particularly in Bharmour.

The Chamba administration is running buses and taxis from Nurpur, Kangra, and Pathankot depot to evacuate around 5,000 people who had left on foot from Bharmour to Chamba. Five sorties were made by helicopters and 25 people were brought back to Chamba from Bharmour.

Revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi, who reached Chamba on Friday, said, “Our priority is to open the road so that the people stranded in Bharmour could go home. Roads would be opened on a war footing, and in case it required time, people would be airlifted.”

Gushing sludge from a drain in Udaipur village washed away houses and government schools, he added.

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Massive destruction

A landslide and flash flood damaged three houses, burying two women in debris, in the Patarna village of Ani subdivision in Kullu district Friday morning. After several hours, rescuers found under the rubble 50-year-old Sharda Devi, while the search for another missing person was on.

Local villagers joined the rescue operation immediately after the incident and helped save the woman and some livestock. Ani Sub-Divisional Magistrate Laxman Singh Kanet said the damaged houses belonged to Krishan Chand, Jai Singh, and Dharmveer.

Heavy rains in the hills of Lippa village in Kinnaur district triggered flash floods damaging agricultural lands, storage houses, and water pipelines. Also flooded were the Bhigti and Pejar streams, causing massive destruction in the area.

Two workers from Jammu and Kashmir, trapped under debris, were rescued by villagers.

Balwant Singh, a resident of Ajiwala village (Toka Nagla) under Paonta sub division, was swept away in water from a flooded drain while saving a cow.

The National Highway Authority of India has sanctioned a sum of Rs 100 crore for short term repair, a spokesperson said in a statement. The Kiratpur-Manali corridor was completely washed away at ten locations on Kullu-Manali sections and partially damaged in five locations. Around 500 tourists stranded near Manali were rescued and no tourist is stranded anymore, Lahaul and Spiti police said.

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164 people dead since June 20

Jatton Barrage in Sirmaur district received 138 mm of rain in the state, the highest. Nahan received 120.9 mm, Palampur 91.4 mm, Sandhole 77.8 mm, Paonta Sahib 75 mm, Kasauli 62 mm, Nahan 60.8 mm, Solan 57.8 mm, Gohar 55.6 mm, Bilaspur 50.4 mm, Murari Devi 48.4mm, Nagrota Suriyan 48.2 mm, and Kahu got 45.5 mm of precipitation.

Of the 916 roads closed, a maximum of 265 roads were closed in the landslide-hit Chamba district. A total of 222 roads are closed in Mandi, 162 in Kullu, 96 in Sirmaur, 60 in Kangra, and 47 in Shimla. Around 925 power supply transformers and 266 water supply schemes have been disrupted, the SEOC had earlier said.

Since June 20, when the monsoon hit the state, at least 164 people have died in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh, while 40 have gone missing, according to the SEOC.

The state has witnessed 90 flash floods, 42 cloudbursts, and 87 major landslides so far. It has incurred losses to the tune of Rs 2,774 crore in rain-related incidents, the SEOC data showed.

(With agency inputs)