IMD predicts very heavy rains over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand today; moderate to heavy rains during next 2 days
climate Change Mahesh Palawat said moderate to heavy rain is expected over Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh during the next two days. Further more , he warned that another heavy spell is possible from 20 August. Moreover, in Himachal, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu informed that over 51 people have lost their lives within the past 24 hours due to landslides and continuous rainfall in the area.
He also expressed concerns that over 20 people are feared to be trapped under debris. According to the state emergency operation centre, 621 roads were closed in the state because of the calamity. The UNESCO world heritage Shimla-Kalka railway line was damaged near Summer Hill here after a landslide swept away a 50-metre bridge, leaving a portion of the track hanging in the air.
The Himachal Police in an update wrote, “Residents of areas around the banks of river Beas please stay alert as the volume of water has increased considerably and dams have discharged water to reduce water level in reservoirs." In Uttarakhand, fresh cracks appeared in Joshimath, raising fear among the residents of the Uttarakhand town as heavy rains lashed the state. Due to heavy rain, 16 families in Panwar Mohalla and Negi Mohalla in Sunil village of Joshimath are at risk, after the upper and lower sides of the village developed cracks at various places, raising the possibility of a major landslide in the area. Due to incessant rains, a large part of the road in Thano-Bhogpur on the Dehradun-Rishikesh road has been washed away.
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