Shimla, July 7 (IANS) A high alert was sounded in Himachal Pradesh as most rivers and their tributaries began flowing above the danger mark after heavy rains, officials said Wednesday.
The alert was announced in Kullu, Mandi, Kinnaur and Shimla districts.
‘Continuous heavy rains during the past three days has increased the water level in the Beas river and its tributaries, including the Parvati and the Tirthan,’ Kullu Deputy Commissioner B.M. Nanta told IANS.
He said an alert has been sounded in the villages and towns along the Beas and people had been advised to move to safer places.
He said that the water level of the Beas had increased so much that at some places the river was touching the Chandigarh-Manali National Highway 21.
At Hanogi, 35 km from Mandi town, the river had submerged a stretch of the highway.
‘We are monitoring the water level. In any emergency, the traffic on the highway would be temporarily shut,’ the official added.
The incessant rains have also caused massive landslides in upper Shimla, hampering vehicular traffic.
The National Highway 22 was also closed at various points in Kinnaur district due to uprooted trees and landslides.
‘Most major roads in Kinnaur have been closed for traffic. The highway at Wangtoo and Malling are the worst affected. The road connectivity between Kinnaur and Kaza in Lahaul and Spiti district has been hampered,’ Kinnaur Superintendent of Police Yashbir Singh Pathania said.
A tributary of the Yamuna, Pabbar, has changed its course near Rohru town, some 120 km from here, cutting into the banks at some places.
Himachal Pradesh has been experiencing moderate to heavy rainfall since the monsoon reached Monday.
According to the Met office, Shimla got 76.8 mm of rain since Tuesday, Solan 90.5 mm, Nahan 76.7 mm, Una 70.2 mm, Dharamsala 60.2 mm, Bhuntar 47.9 mm, Sundernagar 45.9 mm and Kalpa 24 mm of rainfall.
