In response to the widespread damage caused by continuous heavy rainfall, the Himachal Pradesh government has announced monsoon holidays in several regions. Over 300 educational institutions will be affected by the decision.
Education Minister Rohit Thakur said that district administrations have been given the power to declare local-level holidays as needed. “In some places, the monsoon holiday will begin. Last year, we decided that our district administration can fully make decisions at their level...It is difficult for children to reach school, so at the local level, they can take their holidays, and many decisions have been made regarding this. Especially, several subdivisions of Mandi and Shimla have declared holidays...More than 300 of our educational institutions have been affected,” he added.
The move comes as heavy rains continue to disrupt daily life and damage roads and infrastructure across hilly and low-lying areas.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a fresh warning, predicting that the monsoon will remain active in the state till August 12. A combination of an active southwest monsoon and a western disturbance is bringing heavy to very heavy rain to several districts.
IMD scientist Sandeep Kumar Sharma said that in the past 24 hours, the state has received widespread rainfall due to strong winds and local cloud formation. "The intensity of rain over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand in the past 24 hours was due to the convergence of an active monsoon system and a western disturbance. This combination led to strong winds and localised cloud formation, which resulted in heavy to hefty rainfall in the hilly regions," he said.
Kasauli in Solan recorded the highest rainfall at 145 mm, followed by Gohar in Mandi with 120 mm. Several parts of Bilaspur also received significant rain.
The IMD had issued yellow alerts for Bilaspur, Kangra, and Solan on August 6, with more heavy rain expected in Sirmaur, Solan, Shimla, and Kullu on August 7 and 8. While rain will continue till August 12, its intensity is expected to reduce slightly after August 9.
"The monsoon will remain active in Himachal Pradesh till August 12, with scattered rainfall continuing in different regions. Rain intensity is likely to dip marginally after the August 9, but precipitation will persist statewide," he further said.
Visibility in regions like Shimla, Solan, and Sirmaur remains poor due to ongoing rainfall and cloud cover, and this is likely to continue in the coming days. "Visibility conditions in regions such as Shimla and Sirmaur have already been poor, and due to continuous rainfall and lookout cloud formation, these are expected to remain affected between August 6 and 12," he added.
As of August 6, Himachal Pradesh has received 77 per cent more rainfall than the average for this time of the month. Districts such as Bilaspur, Solan, Una, Hamirpur, and Mandi have seen up to 1.5 times more rain than usual. Only Lahaul-Spiti has received below-normal rainfall.
Since the start of the monsoon on June 1, the state has recorded 18 per cent above-normal rainfall overall. Flash flood warnings have been issued for parts of Mandi and nearby areas due to the persistent heavy rainfall with landslides and waterlogging posing serious risks in several regions.
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