Himachal Pradesh Rain fury: Death toll rises to 173; 95 rain-related deaths and 78 in road accidents

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 31 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh has reported a total of 95 rain-related deaths and 78 fatalities due to road accidents during the ongoing monsoon season, according to a cumulative loss report released by the State Disaster Management Authority of the state.
The report covers the period from June 20 to July 31.
The State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) under the Department of Revenue-DM Cell, Government of Himachal Pradesh, confirmed that the 95 deaths were attributed to various disasters during the monsoon season.
Landslides have resulted in five fatalities, while flash floods have taken eight lives. Cloudbursts have been particularly deadly, causing 17 deaths. Drowning incidents and falls from trees or steep rocks have each led to 18 fatalities. Additionally, snake bites have claimed nine lives, electrocution has caused six deaths, and a fire incident has resulted in one fatality.
In addition to these disaster-related fatalities, the state has recorded 78 deaths resulting from road accidents across various districts during the same monsoon period. The highest number of road accident deaths was reported in Mandi (14), Shimla (10), and Solan (10).
The State Disaster Management Authority continues to monitor the situation closely, with the SEOC operating a 24x7 helpline (1070) for emergency response.
Earlier, amid continuing monsoon activity across Himachal Pradesh SDMA has confirmed that all major dams in the state are operating within permissible safety limits.
According to the official daily dam status bulletin issued at 5 pm on July 30, none of the monitored dams have crossed their Full Reservoir Level (FRL) or High Flood Level (HFL) thresholds.
The report, compiled from the Satluj, Ravi, Beas, and Yamuna basins, notes that water inflows remain under control, and spillway discharges and machine flows are being regulated based on safety protocols. Key reservoirs such as Bhakra, Pong, Nathpa Jhakri, Kol Dam, and Chamera-I are maintaining safe reservoir levels, despite high inflows due to recent rainfall.
However, some operational concerns persist, which include the Malana-II hydro station remaining shut since a flash flood incident on August 1, 2024. Larji Barrage, Pandoh Dam, and Sainj Barrage have also been shut down due to heavy siltation or maintenance issues.
At Baira Dam, plant operations are currently suspended, and spillway gates are open due to high particulate pollution (PPM), the bulletin noted.
"The pond levels of all dams are currently well within safety margins, and no flood threat is posed from dam-related overflow at this time," the SDMA bulletin stated.
The authority continues to closely monitor all hydro-infrastructure amid active monsoon alerts and has advised downstream populations to remain alert but not alarmed. (ANI)