Himachal Pradesh Monsoon Havoc: Death Toll Rises To 80, 7 Districts Face Flash Flood Risk Dog Saves 67 Lives In Mandi

(MENAFN- Live Mint) With heavy rain pummelling several parts of Himachal Pradesh, the cumulative death toll due to rain-related incidents in the state has risen to 80 since June 20.

52 of these fatalities have been directly attributed to disasters such as landslides, flash floods, and cloudbursts, while 28 deaths were due to other causes, including road accidents, according to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA).

The report defines“other causes” as including electrocution , snake bites, and falls from steep terrain.

An SDMA official said,“As per cumulative data compiled till July 7, the state has recorded 80 deaths--52 from rain-induced incidents, 28 from road accidents.”

Rain-related deaths included 14 due to cloudbursts, 8 in flash floods, 1 from landslides, and others from electrocution, drowning, and falls caused by weather events.

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Amid incessant rains, flash floods and landslides in Himachal Pradesh claiming lives, Mandi district was the worst hit, accounting for 17 rain-related deaths.

However, on the night of June 30, in the village of Siyathi, Dharampur, a dog saved as many as 67 lives in the district.

On the fateful night, the area was witnessing a massive downpour when a dog sleeping on the second floor of Siyathi resident Narendra's house suddenly started barking loudly and then howling around midnight.

“I woke up from the barking. As I went to him, I saw a big crack in the wall of the house and water had started to enter. I ran downstairs with the dog and woke everyone up,” Narendra said.

He then ran to wake up others in the village and asked them to run to safety.

Shortly after the villagers took shelter, the village was hit by a landslide , flattening nearly a dozen houses. Today, only 4-5 houses are visible in the village; all others are under the debris from the landslide.

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The local meteorological department on Tuesday warned of a risk of low to moderate flash floods in parts of seven districts in the next 24 hours.

These districts are Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Kullu, Shimla , Solan and Sirmaur.

Officials said that since the onset of the monsoon on June 20, Himachal Pradesh has witnessed 23 flash floods, 19 cloudbursts, and 16 landslides, and 52 people have died in rain-related incidents in the state so far.

According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), 225 roads, including 153 in the worst-hit Mandi district, are closed, and 163 transformers and 174 water supply schemes are affected in the state.

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The meteorological department has issued a 'yellow' alert, warning of heavy rains at isolated places in the state till next Monday.

From June 1 to July 8, Himachal Pradesh received 203.2 mm of rain, up from the normal 152.6 mm.

During this period, Mandi district recorded 110 per cent excess rain, Shimla 89 per cent, and Una 86 per cent. The monsoon hit Himachal Pradesh on June 20.

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