Another cloudburst in Himachal’s Mandi, traffic disrupted on Chandigarh-Manali highway

No casualties have been reported in the cloudburst and residents, tourists, and workers have been advised to maintain a safe distance from the riverbanks.

By: Express News Service

Shimla | August 17, 2025 11:37 IST

The boundary walls of some government offices and a residential colony of an infrastructure firm were also damaged. (Photo: Screengrab from Video on X/@PTI_News)

A massive cloudburst was reported at the Takoli area in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh Sunday morning. It occurred over Shalanal Nala in the Takoli area of Mandi, resulting in water and debris flooding the Kiratpur–Manali four-lane highway at Takoli and disrupting traffic on the Chandigarh-Manali National Highway.

The cloudburst took place in the early morning hours, causing destruction of infrastructure along with private and government properties. No casualties have been reported in the fresh cloudburst so far. Residents, tourists, and workers have been strictly advised to maintain a safe distance from the riverbanks during this period.

The district administration of Mandi has decided to release additional water from the Pandoh Dam into the Beas River, depending on the inflow.

Apart from these, the boundary walls of some government offices and a residential colony of an infrastructure firm were also damaged. A senior officer said the alternative route via Kataula–Kamand between Mandi and Kullu was also affected, and the debris on this route will be cleared by afternoon. The officer said the route will be open for light vehicles.

Mandi has emerged as the epicentre of the natural disaster in the shape of cloudbursts, landslides, and flash floods in the 2025 monsoon. Mandi witnessed the first disaster on the night of June 30 when a series of cloudbursts hit the areas of Bagsiad, Bagchanogi, Jhanjheli, Thunag, Dharampur, Karsog, and Gohar that fall under the Seraj, Karsog, and Dharampur Assembly constituencies.

The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), based on testimonies from affected residents, site inspections, and scientific data, ruled that not less than 12 cloudbursts occurred that night. The water levels in five seasonal rivulets had risen unexpectedly, and the width of local nullahs expanded from a few feet to between 30 and 45 meters, affecting human settlements located at a significant distance from the streambeds.

Meanwhile, a cloudburst struck a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, leaving at least four people dead and six injured, as per reports.

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