70 dead, 204 roads blocked: Himachal reels under monsoon fury; damage tops Rs 910 cr

Heavy monsoon rains continued to disrupt life across Himachal Pradesh, with 204 roads blocked, 70 people killed in rain-related incidents and damage to public property estimated at more than Rs 910 crore over the past 43 days, according to the latest State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) assessment.The assessment covers the period from June 30 to August 11 and captures the impact of repeated heavy rainfall, landslides, cloudbursts and other weather-related incidents across the hill state.70 disaster deaths, public property damage crosses Rs 910 croreAccording to SEOC data, 70 people have died in direct disaster-related incidents since June 30. Landslides accounted for 14 deaths, while 23 people died after falling from steep slopes, rocks or trees. Seven deaths were caused by snake bites, six by electrocution and four by cloudbursts.Lahaul and Spiti reported the highest number of direct disaster-related deaths at 14, followed by Kangra with 12.The wider toll has also been compounded by road accidents. As many as 93 people have died in road accidents during the same period, with Chamba reporting 16 fatalities, followed by Kullu (13), Sirmaur (12) and Shimla (11), as reproted by ANI.Meanwhile, cumulative damage to public property has reached around Rs 910.35 crore. The Public Works Department has suffered the biggest losses, estimated at Rs 686.36 crore, while damage to the power sector stands at around Rs 203.90 crore.The monsoon has also damaged houses, other private structures, livestock and crops across the state's 12 districts, adding to losses for affected households.204 roads blocked, power and water infrastructure hitMandi is the worst affected in terms of road connectivity, with 80 roads currently blocked. The Mandi-Kullu route has also been disrupted at Jalogi Dwada. Kullu has reported 56 blocked roads, while 23 roads remain closed in Sirmaur. Two national highways — NH-154 and NH-21 — are also among the affected routes.The road closures have disrupted inter-district connectivity and complicated the movement of essential supplies and emergency response teams.The monsoon has also damaged the state's power and drinking water infrastructure. Forty-five distribution transformer regions are currently out of service, including 41 in Sirmaur's Nahan subdivision.Around 82 drinking water supply schemes have been affected across the state. Sirmaur accounts for 31 of the disrupted schemes, followed by Hamirpur with 11 and Mandi with eight.Authorities and emergency response teams are continuing restoration work, including clearing landslides and debris, reopening roads and restoring power and water supply. However, persistent rainfall and the risk of further landslides continue to hamper relief and restoration efforts.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.