Devastating Toll: More Than 60 Lives Lost as Relentless Rainfall Ravages Himachal Pradesh, Shimla and Mandi Bear the Brunt

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that isolated but heavy rainfall is likely to continue over Himachal Pradesh in the next two days and over Uttarakhand and northeast India in the next 4-5 days.

Due to the heavy rainfall, the water levels of Delhi’s Yamuna river breached the danger mark, for the second time this year, on Tuesday.

Here are the top updates:

1. Over 800 people have been evacuated from the low-lying areas of Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra near the Pong Dam. The evacuation process was a result of increased water level in the Dam due to incessant rainfall. Himachal chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu tweeted on Wednesday, “More than 800 people were evacuated from the low-lying areas of Kangra near the Pong Dam, as their villages became inaccessible due to the elevated water level in the dam reservoir. Evacuation operation is still on as more people are being evacuated.”
2. One person was killed and five others were rescued after a building collapsed at Helang near Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district late on Tuesday evening. State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) said they pulled one body from the rubble and search was on to rescue another person buried under the debris.
3. The monsoon trough, an elongated low-pressure area that was to the north of its normal position, causing heavy rainfall over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, has gradually started moving south, the IMD said on Tuesday.
4. The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday airlifted 18 army soldiers in a single flight in Shimla. The Air Force said, “A Chinook helicopter of Western Air Command airlifted 18 Indian Army personnel and a 3-Ton Mini Dozer in a single sortie for rescue efforts in areas affected by landslides near Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla today.”
5. Around five to 10 people are feared trapped after several buildings, including houses and a slaughterhouse, on Tuesday crumbled down in Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla in instance of landslide due to continous rainfall. Locals in the area were moved to safety.
6. Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhu on Tuesday held a meeting with High Power Committee for natural disaster management. He said that a 157 per cent surge in rainfall over the past four days has resulted in extensive damage across the entire state.
7. While over 60 people have died in Himachal due to the ince

One person killed, five others rescued after building collapse near Joshimath

One person was killed while five others were rescued after a building collapsed at Helang near Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district late on Tuesday evening. State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) said they pulled one body from the rubble and search was on to rescue another person buried under the debris.

SDRF inspector Harak Singh said the seven people who lived in the building worked at a nearby crusher unit on the banks of the Alaknanda River. “One of them, Anmol, who was in his 20s, has died. Five people were rescued and hospitalised while efforts were on to rescue one trapped person.”

The building collapse site is around 13 km from Joshimath, where 868 structures have developed cracks and 181 have been declared unsafe so far. This month, five families from Joshimath’s Sunil Ward were shifted to relief camps amid fear of further instability of structures due to heavy rains. Residents met district magistrate Himanshu Khurana in June to discuss threats to the town during the monsoon season.

Joshimath residents, who were scheduled to relaunch their agitation on Tuesday on the occasion of Independence Day demanding their rehabilitation under the banner of Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (JBSS), deferred it. A Mahapanchayat (grand assembly) has been convened on August 21. The affected families plan to stage daily sit-ins from the following day.

The residents suspended their 107-day agitation after chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami assured them of concrete action. The assurance came after the Samiti called for the Rishikesh-Badrinath highway blockade on the inaugural day of the Badrinath Yatra on April 27. The Samiti organised day-long protests over three subsequent months to remind the government of its promises. JBSS convenor Atul Satil said they have been forced to relaunch the agitation because they have been deceived.