The monsoon has struck Himachal Pradesh with unrelenting ferocity, unleashing landslips, swollen rivers and collapsing roads that together have claimed at least 63 lives and wrecked public infrastructure worth more than ₹400 crore.
Figures compiled by the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority show 37 deaths directly linked to rain‑induced calamities and a further 26 fatalities in road accidents during the same spell of bad weather. With scores still missing and several valleys cut off, officials fear the toll will rise.
Mandi district has borne the brunt, particularly the Thunag subdivision, where approaches have crumbled and electricity as well as drinking‑water supply remain severed. Forty people are unaccounted for in Mandi alone.
Also read: Mandi cloudburst death toll rises to 13; 29 still missing
“We have recorded over ₹400 crore in losses so far, as entered in our system. But the actual damage is likely to be much higher. Our primary focus at the moment is on search, rescue and restoration,” said DC Rana, Special Secretary in the State Disaster Management Authority and Revenue Department, at a press briefing on Wednesday.
Relief camps have been opened and Indian Air Force helicopters have airdropped food packets to marooned settlements. “A village in Mandi has been devastated,” Rana confirmed. Senior engineers from the Public Works Department, the Electricity Board and the Jal Shakti Department are already stationed in the district to expedite restoration.
Across the State more than 250 roads are blocked, over 500 electricity transformers lie silent and roughly 700 drinking‑water schemes have been disrupted. Schools in Shimla have flooded, forcing anxious parents to keep children indoors. “It’s raining heavily. Water is entering our classrooms, our clothes and books are soaked,” said pupil Tanuja Thakur. “There is always a fear that a tree could fall. Thankfully, we are safe for now.”
The India Meteorological Department has maintained its orange alert through 7 July, cautioning of further heavy downpours. Authorities, joined by police, Home Guards, the State Disaster Response Force and teams from the National Disaster Response Force, remain on high alert.
“These events are a consequence of global warming and climate change. Himachal is not untouched by these impacts,” Rana observed, underscoring the wider environmental stakes as crews labour to reopen arterial routes and restore power before fresh rain closes the window.
With the Beas in spate and more clouds massing over the Dhauladhar range, the hill‑state girds itself for yet another stern test of endurance.
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