Uttarakhand Orange Alert Issued for Four Districts Over 90 Roads Blocked
Heavy monsoon rainfall has paralysed parts of Himachal Pradesh, disrupting transportation, electricity, and water supply in several districts. In the last 24 hours alone, 269 roads were blocked, 285 electricity transformers affected, and 278 water supply schemes rendered non-functional, as per emergency updates. The maximum damage was reported from Mandi, followed by Kullu and Chamba, prompting urgent restoration efforts by multiple departments. Officials have issued travel advisories as landslides and waterlogging worsen conditions in hill zones.
The ongoing monsoon season has battered Himachal Pradesh’s hill districts, unleashing widespread infrastructure breakdowns and triggering safety alerts. According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), Mandi remains the worst-hit with 200 blocked roads, 236 damaged power transformers, and all 278 disrupted water supply schemes concentrated there. The rainfall has triggered landslides and waterlogging, especially along rural and mountain routes, severing access for emergency services and isolating several villages. Kullu district, particularly its Banjar and Nirmand subdivisions, reported 39 blocked roads, while Chamba saw 32 road closures and transformer failures across multiple subdivisions. A senior disaster management official said field teams have been deployed to high-risk zones with restoration works initiated on priority routes. Electricity and Jal Shakti departments have also mobilised workforce and equipment to restore disrupted services. Continuous downpours are expected to pose further challenges, with saturated soil increasing the threat of more landslides, prompting heightened monitoring.
While districts like Shimla, Solan, and Lahaul-Spiti experienced minimal damage, authorities warn that continued rainfall could trigger new disruptions. The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) has urged the public to avoid non-essential travel, particularly in landslide-prone zones and low-lying river basins. Field engineers and work crews are attempting to open key roads and stabilise power grids and pipelines in the affected zones. Emergency repair operations are being guided by live updates and coordinated via a round-the-clock control room. Officials added that many blocked roads are located in critical access areas for remote habitations, making swift clearance operations essential to prevent supply shortages. The ongoing disruption has added pressure to the state’s emergency services, already stretched by a rising monsoon toll. According to SEOC data, the cumulative death toll this monsoon has reached 75, including 45 weather-linked fatalities and 30 due to indirect causes like electrocution, mishaps, and infrastructure collapses.
The monsoon disruptions have once again highlighted the vulnerability of Himachal Pradesh’s highland infrastructure to extreme weather events. With over 250 roads blocked and critical utilities disabled, the state’s emergency teams are facing a race against time to restore services before further rainfall escalates the crisis. Authorities are continuing to monitor the situation through SEOC’s live coordination system, but the road to normalcy remains uncertain. As the state grapples with the human and economic costs of monsoon damage, long-term resilience planning, including landslide mitigation and infrastructure upgrades, remains central to avoiding recurrent disruption.
