Heavy rains continuing in some parts of Himachal Pradesh have given a new tension to the people. In view of the situation, the Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued a warning of mild to moderate floods in Chamba, Kangra, Kinnaur, Mandi, Shimla and Sirmaur districts of the state.
The weather office said that due to the expected rain in the next 24 hours, waterlogging may occur in low-lying areas. A yellow alert for heavy rain was issued in nine districts of the state on Monday. According to the Shimla office of the IMD, the yellow alert for heavy rain will continue in these districts on Tuesday as well.
Chandigarh-Manali highway blocked for over 4 hours
The Chandigarh-Manali highway was blocked for over four hours on Monday due to debris that fell on the road near Nine Mile between Mandi and Pandoh. Heavy debris from the mountain suddenly settled on the road, leaving three vehicles, including a truck and a bus, stranded. The road was closed at 5 am and could be cleared only after four hours of intensive repair work by machines.
Due to this, long queues of vehicles were formed on both sides of the road. The closure of the highway disrupted the movement of people going for important work and essential supplies. Even after the road was opened, a kilometre-long traffic jam continued for an hour.
The weather will become clear again from September 4: IMD
According to news agency Varta, the weather was forecast to be clear in Himachal Pradesh on Monday, but the weather remained bad since morning in most areas of Shimla and thick fog prevailed. Due to fog in Shimla, visibility was less than 50 meters. On Tuesday, a yellow alert for rain has been issued in all the nine districts except Chamba, Kinnaur and Lahaul Spiti. Heavy rain is forecast in these districts. If the Meteorological Department is to be believed, the weather will be clear again in the state from September 4. The weather has remained clear in most parts of the state for the last three days.
This time the monsoon in the state has been weak since the beginning. So far in this monsoon season, the rainfall has been 24 percent less than normal. According to the Meteorological Department, the normal rainfall in the state is 618.9 mm from June 1 to September 1. But this time only 471.1 mm of rain has fallen.
