Himachal Monsoon Fury: 179 Roads Blocked, Chamba Flash Flood Destroys Homes, Vehicles

Heavy monsoon rains continued to batter Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday, leading to a flash flood in Chamba town that damaged homes and vehicles, while 179 roads remained blocked across the state. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued orange and yellow alerts for several districts over the coming days.

The worst damage occurred in Mohalla Sultanpur, Chamba, where an overflowing seasonal nullah swelled into a flash flood, damaging two pucca houses, 26 other houses, one shop, and a government building. More than three dozen vehicles, including cars and two-wheelers, were washed away or severely damaged.

Chamba Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Repaswal said, “An alert was issued well in advance, but the unprecedented surge in the seasonal nullah caused extensive damage. Officials are clearing debris, rocks and silt from the affected area and assessing losses.”

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu visited the affected area and directed the district administration to provide immediate assistance to the affected families. He urged people to remain vigilant and avoid venturing near rivers, nallahs, and seasonal khuds due to the risk of sudden rises in water levels.

Infrastructure across the state was severely affected. According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), 179 roads remained blocked by Tuesday evening, down from 230 in the morning. Mandi district had the highest number of blocked roads at 58, followed by Kullu (42) and Chamba (30).

Water supply in Shimla is likely to be disrupted for the next few days due to a transformer failure at stage-2 of the Satluj Water Supply Project and heavy silt and flooding at other water sources, according to a statement from the Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited (SJPNL).

The IMD has forecast continued wet weather and issued an orange alert for July 29 for Sirmaur district, warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall. Yellow alerts have been issued for Bilaspur, Kangra, and Mandi. On July 30, orange alerts have been issued for Bilaspur, Chamba, Kangra, and Sirmaur, while Una, Hamirpur, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, and Solan are under yellow alerts. Heavy rain warnings continue for several districts until August 1.

In a related development, authorities issued a public advisory after the 800 MW Parbati Hydroelectric Project Stage-II began releasing additional water from the Pulga Dam. About 27 cumecs of water was released through radial gates, increasing total discharge into the Parbati river to approximately 109 cumecs. Officials warned that further releases could be made if inflows increase and urged residents, tourists, and workers to stay away from riverbanks. Sirens and public announcements were used to alert people in vulnerable areas.

Since the onset of the monsoon on June 30, landslides and flash floods have claimed 15 lives in Himachal Pradesh.