Cloudburst triggers flash flood in Himachal; makeshift sheds washed away

Meteorological office issues 'orange' alert for heavy to very heavy rain accompanied with thunderstorms and lightning in seven districts of State

Shimla: A footbridge and three makeshift sheds, including a liquor shop, were washed away following a flash flood triggered by a cloudburst in Tosh Nallah in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district, officials said on Tuesday.

The incident took place in the Tosh area of Manikaran early in the morning and no loss of life was reported, Deputy Commissioner Kullu Torul S Raveesh said, adding that a team has been sent to the spot to assess the situation.

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“Our appeal to the people is to stay away from rivers and rivulets and do not make temporary structures near nallahs,” she said. The deputy commissioner said that construction activity is prohibited during the monsoon and strict action would be taken against anyone defying the norms.

The local meteorological office has issued an ‘orange’ alert for heavy to very heavy rain accompanied with thunderstorms and lightning in seven districts of the State on Wednesday and Thursday. The Met has also sounded a ‘yellow’ alert for heavy rain at isolated places on August 2 and 3 .

Monsoon activity is likely to intensify with widespread precipitation in the next four to five days, it said. Spells of heavy to very heavy rainfall are likely to occur at one or two places in the districts of Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla and Sirmaur on Wednesday and Thursday, the weather office said.

It also cautioned of possibility of landslides and flash floods in vulnerable areas of Kullu, Solan, Sirmaur, Shimla, and Kinnaur districts, and damage to plantations and standing crops, vulnerable structures and ‘kutcha’ houses due to strong winds and waterlogging in low-lying areas.

Meanwhile, light rainfall was witnessed in a few parts of the state. According to Meteorological Centre, Shimla, Sarahan and Rohru recorded 12 mm of rainfall since Monday evening followed by Sangrah (10 mm), Jogindernagar (8 mm), Sainj (6.5 mm), Manali (6 mm), Rampur (5.8 mm), Dharamshala (5.4 mm) and Gohar (5 mm).