Heavy overnight rain has added fresh injuries and property losses in the Boh Valley of Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh, officials confirmed on Wednesday. Three people were hurt and 12 additional homes were damaged, pushing the total number of houses affected in the valley to 18. Six houses had already been swept away in Tuesday’s downpour.
Of the damaged structures in these Flash Floods in Kangra, 13 are pucca (permanent) houses and five are kutcha (temporary) houses. Nine cowsheds were also destroyed, and the disaster claimed several animals: three buffaloes, four cows, a bull and a sheep.
The trouble began Tuesday when a cloudburst set off flash floods and heavy debris flows in the Sapedi and Garun villages of the valley, with Lam village also now at risk. Locals reported hearing a loud, blast-like rumble from the hillside just before a torrent of water, mud and boulders came crashing down. Quick evacuation efforts are credited with preventing any deaths, even as several roads leading into the affected villages were cut off.
The Shimla Meteorological Centre has issued an orange alert for extremely heavy rain in isolated pockets of Kangra and Mandi, along with a yellow alert covering Chamba, Kullu, Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur for Wednesday. Forecasters also flagged a low-to-moderate flash flood risk across watersheds and neighbourhoods in Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla, Sirmaur and Kullu over the coming 24 hours, with the wet spell expected to persist until July 27.
Landslides have also struck the Dibba and Maned Nallah areas, slowing down rescue and administrative teams trying to reach the worst-hit spots.
Due to these Flash Floods in Kangra, multiple roads across the state already blocked by days of relentless rain. Authorities are urging people to avoid non-essential travel, keep away from rivers, streams, nullahs and landslide-prone slopes, and never attempt to cross flooded roads or overflowing bridges.
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