Himachal Pradesh: 744 roads blocked, 472 water supply schemes affected as monsoon havoc continues

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 8 (ANI): The Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HPSDMA) on Monday evening released a report detailing significant disruptions to public utilities across the state due to ongoing rainfall.
As of 6:00 PM on September 8, the state is grappling with widespread closures of roads and disruptions to power and water supply schemes.
According to the report, a total of 744 roads remain blocked, including three National Highways: NH-03, NH-70, and NH-305. Additionally, 959 Distribution Transformer Regions (DTRs) and 472 water supply schemes have been disrupted.
The cumulative death toll from monsoon-related incidents in the state since June 20 has reached 366. Of these, 203 fatalities were directly attributed to rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods, and cloudbursts. A separate count shows 163 deaths were a result of road accidents.
District-wise Impact: Kullu district is the most affected, with 223 roads blocked, including two National Highways. Mandi and Shimla districts also face significant road closures, with 183 and 137 roads blocked, respectively.
Power: Kullu district has the highest number of power disruptions, with 722 DTRs out of order. Mandi district follows with 88 disrupted DTRs.
Water: Shimla district has reported the highest number of disrupted water supply schemes, totalling 123. The report also highlights disruptions in Mandi, where 57 water schemes have been affected.
The ongoing monsoon season in Himachal Pradesh has claimed 370 lives so far, with 205 fatalities linked to rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods, cloudbursts, drowning, lightning strikes, electrocution, and other disaster-related causes, and 165 deaths reported in road accidents, according to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA).
The cumulative loss report issued by the SDMA, covering the period from June 20 to September 8, paints a grim picture of the widespread destruction across the hill state.
A total of 434 people have been injured, and 41 remain missing. The disaster has also resulted in the loss of 1,480 livestock and over 26,955 poultry birds.
Public infrastructure has been severely affected, with 5,354 roads, 83 water supply schemes, and 7,002 electricity distribution transformers damaged or disrupted. Losses to public property are pegged at Rs 4,12,246.97 lakh (Rs 4,122.46 crore), while damages to private property, including houses, shops, crops, and livestock shelters, have also been extensive.
District-wise data shows Mandi recorded the highest rain-related fatalities at 37, followed by Kangra (32), Kullu (26), and Chamba and Shimla (21 each).
The SDMA warned that with the monsoon still active in parts of the state, the toll could rise further as restoration efforts continue in inaccessible regions.
"The scale of destruction this monsoon has been unprecedented in recent years, both in terms of human loss and infrastructure damage," the SDMA said in its statement. (ANI)